Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment in Oregon: Overview

A package of criminal justice bills aiming to keep people with substance use disorders out of prison and improve community supervision and reentry supports has been introduced in the Kansas legislature for the 2021 session.

Not only is treatment a more cost-effective use of taxpayer dollars than prison, but it works.

After authorizing $10.6 million to help people with behavioral health issues get treatment and avoid costly stays in emergency rooms and local jails, Oregon officials are putting that money to work.

UTEC, a Lowell-based organization that focuses on reentry, has received nearly $2 million in funding over the past two years to create a transitional employment program for young people at a high risk of reoffending.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson visited the Improving Community Treatment Success program which provides comprehensive community-based services for people on probation and parole who have behavioral health needs.

The Kansas legislature recently enacted a package of bipartisan criminal justice bills designed to increase public safety and improve community supervision.