Ensuring Timely Access to Medicaid and SSI/SSDI for People with Mental Illness Released from Prison: Four Case Studies
This fact sheet from the Council of State Governments Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project, in conjunction with the Re-Entry Policy Council, provides an analysis of case studies from four states, identifying common elements of success, highlights from each state, and continuing challenges to state efforts.
Among people in prison with mental illnesses, many are enrolled in (or are eligible for) Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI/SSDI) and Medicaid to support their medical treatment prior to incarceration, but few are enrolled in these federal benefit or entitlement programs upon release. As a result, their access to medications and treatment—elements typically essential to compliance with conditions of release for people with mental illness—is severely limited, presenting a significant obstacle to their successful transition back to the community.
This May, the state of Washington passed legislation supporting the expansion of alternative response teams (sometimes called community…
Read More
The CSG Justice Center Advisory Board establishes the policy and project priorities of the organization. The board features…
Read More
New Mexico launched a pilot program in 2024 to divert people with mental health needs and misdemeanor charges…
Read More
Developing a Common Definition for Community Responder Programs
This May, the state of Washington passed legislation supporting the expansion of alternative response teams (sometimes called community responders) as a public safety service.
Read More
Finding Solutions to Complex Criminal Justice Issues: Q&A with New CSG Justice Center Advisory Board Member Justice Briana Zamora
The CSG Justice Center Advisory Board establishes the policy and project priorities of the organization. The board features a cross-section of leaders who shape criminal justice policy in various parts of the country.
Read More
From Courtroom to Care: 5 Key Strategies Behind New Mexico’s Competency Diversion Pilot
New Mexico launched a pilot program in 2024 to divert people with mental health needs and misdemeanor charges out of the justice system and into care.
Read More
The 10-Year Impact—and Future—of Stepping Up: Facing the Behavioral Health Crisis in Jails and Communities with Real Solutions
As the Stepping Up initiative marks its 10th year, America’s justice and behavioral health systems are facing a shared crisis: how to meet the behavioral health needs of people cycling through jails.
Read More
Breaking Down Barriers: Reentry 2030 States Meet to Tackle Employment-Related Collateral Consequences
On June 26, the CSG Justice Center convened state leaders in workforce development, education, and corrections from 7 Reentry 2030 states for the second session of the Reentry 2030 Workforce Development Peer Learning Cohort.
Read More
How Embedded Data Analysts Are Transforming State Corrections Systems
While corrections agencies across the country collect vast amounts of…
Read More