The GAINS Center’s Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison promotes the criminal justice partnerships that are necessary to develop successful approaches for identifying individuals in need of services, determining what services those individuals need, and addressing these needs during transition from incarceration to community-based treatment and supervision. The guidelines incorporate the principles outlined in Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision: A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery; A Best Practice Approach to Community Reentry from Jail for Inmates with Co-occurring Disorders: The APIC Model; and evidence-based practices and programs (many of which can be found in the What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse).
In addition, the Justice Center, National Association of Counties, and the American Psychiatric Foundation have come together to lead the Stepping Up Initiative, a national effort to help advance counties’ efforts to reduce the number of adults with mental and co-occurring substance use disorders in jails. By signing up for the initiative, you will receive notification about learning opportunities, peer-to-peer exchanges, expert guidance, a toolkit of resources, and other assistance to facilitate planning and implementation. To learn more, visit the Stepping Up website.