Michael P. Boggs, a Georgia Supreme Court justice, has been appointed chair of The Council of State Governments Justice Center’s Advisory Board.
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WATCH: Opioid Addiction Screening and Assessment for People in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar focusses on best practices for screening and assessment of people in the criminal justice system who have opioid addictions. -
Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans
This webpage provides tools and resources to assist in developing and implementing collaborative case plans, including the "Developing Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans" webinar, which offers tips on how to get the most out the webpage. -
Learning Communities: Interface Process Measures
Over the course of four discussions, CSG Justice Center staff and Dr. Taxman describe the shared principles and process measures that can help coordinate service delivery between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems.
WATCH: Opioid Addiction Screening and Assessment for People in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar focusses on best practices for screening and assessment of people in the criminal justice system who have opioid addictions.
The majority of people in prison and jail have a substance use disorder. Despite the promise demonstrated by some treatment programs for people who are incarcerated, just a fraction of the people who need services for substance abuse receive it. Connecting people incarcerated to treatment programs proven to be effective, prioritizing resources for those nearing release, and encouraging community-based aftercare will ensure better outcomes for people released from prisons and jails, and the communities to which they return.
Substance Abuse FAQs
Providing answers on relevant topics concerning Mental Health, Health and Substance Abuse topics.
Recent Posts
A Message from the Director: Highlights from 2018
I arrived at the CSG Justice Center aware that the field of criminal justice has changed dramatically since our inception in 2007, presenting our organization and others with new challenges and exciting opportunities. As we entered our second decade, I felt that we first needed to be sure we understand who we are, what we stand for, and how we fit into this growing field.
WATCH: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Joins Face to Face Initiative to Highlight Substance Addiction Treatment Needs in Criminal Justice System
Gov. Doug Burgum became the latest governor to join the Face to Face initiative, a national call to action encouraging policymakers to personally engage with the people who are closest to the correctional system.
Reentry Essentials: Prioritizing Treatment for Substance Addictions
A large proportion of people in the criminal justice system have substance addictions. While there is an overwhelming need to provide effective treatment, challenges exist in quantifying the extent of that need, providing appropriate treatment programming, and taking a strategic approach across systems.
The Guidance Center Releases Free Roll Call Mental Health Training Series for Police Departments Across the Country
A new series of free web-based training modules that provide officers with effective tools for readily recognizing signs of mental illness and interacting with people who may be in crisis has been produced through a partnership between The Guidance Center (a nonprofit child and family mental health service provider) and the Los Angeles Police Department, the Long Beach Police Department, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
New Web Tool Provides Look at Often-Overlooked Legal, Regulatory Restrictions Against People who have Criminal Convictions
The new National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction resource compiles thousands of state and federal statutes into a searchable database, making it easier to identify these obscure regulations that can be triggered by a particular conviction.
Announcements
2019 National Conference on Juvenile Justice
The conference will provide an opportunity for judges, probation officers, detention facility employees, and other stakeholders in the juvenile justice system to discover new and improved practices, share cutting-edge research, and explore positive case outcomes for youth involved in the delinquency system.
Twelfth Academic Health & Policy Conference on Correctional Health
The conference will provide a forum for researchers, clinicians, administrators, educators, policymakers, and grant funding leaders to network, share evidence, and learn about emerging research and relevant policy updates in the field of correctional health care.
Apply Now: National Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions Program
The purpose of the program is to advance the implementation of high-quality, evidence-based treatment for individuals with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, including substance addictions.
Apply Now: “How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses” Train-the-Trainer Events for Individuals
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, operated by Policy Research Associates, is now soliciting applications from experienced trainers (individuals) who are interested in developing their capacity to provide trauma-informed training in their local agencies/communities.
Webinars
2018 Second Chance Act Orientation for Reentry for Adults with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Grant Program
In this webinar, representatives from the NRRC, along with staff from BJA, provide an overview of the Second Chance Act’s Reentry for Adults with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness (CSAMI) grant program and explain the training and technical assistance opportunities that are available to grantees, including the Planning & Implementation Guide, and other resources available to grantees.
Best Practices for Successful Reentry for People with an Opioid Addiction
This webinar includes information on planning and coordination, behavioral health treatment, cognitive interventions, and community supervision practices as well as community resources such as housing and recovery support services.
Opioid Addiction Screening and Assessment for People in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar focusses on best practices for screening and assessment of people in the criminal justice system who have opioid addictions.
Understanding Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in People Involved with the Criminal Justice System
In this webinar, Leigh Ann Davis, director of the National Center on Criminal Justice & Disability, discusses differences and similarities between various kinds of behavioral health diagnoses and I/DD, how to identify someone with I/DD, and tips for to work more effectively with people with I/DD in correctional settings.
Responding to the 2018 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Solicitation
In this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Reentry Resource Center review the FY18 Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Illness application process.
Responding to the 2018 Solicitation for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
In this webinar, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and the CSG Justice Center review the FY2018 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grant application process.
Addressing the Needs of Veterans in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar provides an overview of national estimates of incarcerated veterans; explains components of the Veterans Health Administration’s veterans justice programs; expands awareness of the needs of veterans in the justice system; and discusses new developments in the Veterans Administration and community interventions to provide services to veterans in the justice system.
Best Practices in Screening and Assessment for People with Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal Justice System
This webinar features Roger Peters, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The webinar discusses the prevalence of co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders among people involved in the criminal justice system, as well as effective screening and assessment instruments to use with this population.
Practical Considerations Related to Release and Sentencing for Defendants Who Have Behavioral Health Needs
During this webinar, judges and other court personnel learn about the tips for recognizing indications of a mental illness and/or substance use disorder in the courtroom, the process for treatment recommendation and referral for defendants with behavioral health needs, and how to collaborate with behavioral health care providers in their communities
2017 JMHCP Category 3 Implementation & Expansion Grantee Orientation
In this webinar, CSG Justice Center staff explain the training and technical assistance opportunities and resources available to FY17 JMHCP Category 3 Implementation & Expansion grantees.
Publications
Using Medication Assisted Treatment to Treat Opioid Use Disorder: Learning from past Experience to Guide Policy
This paper addresses some of the issues that impact the development of policies in the use of medications in opioid addiction treatment and the prevention of opioid overdose, including whether treating opioid addictions should be viewed as a public health intervention.
Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment in Oregon: Second Presentation
The second presentation to Oregon’s Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment Steering Committee prompted discussion that enabled the committee to reach agreement on a project framework that will become the basis for subsequent resource and policy discussions.
Homelessness in America: Focus on Individual Adults
This publication summarizes the most relevant data and research regarding different subpopulations to help inform the work that must happen across the federal government, states, and local communities to end homelessness.
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 1999–2017
This report uses the most recent final mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to update trends in drug overdose deaths, describe demographic and geographic patterns, and identify shifts in the types of drugs involved.
Best Practices for Successful Reentry for People Who Have Opioid Addictions
This fact sheet from the National Reentry Resource Center describes the best practices that correctional, community-based behavioral health, and probation and parole agencies can implement within their systems to ensure reentry for people who have opioid addictions is safe and successful.
Americans Favor Expanded Pretrial Release, Limited Use of Jail
This national survey provides information about how the public thinks pretrial justice should work and finds substantial support for policies and decisions that limit the use of pretrial detention.
Integrated Funding to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails: Key Considerations for California County Executives
This brief from the CSG Justice Center, in partnership with the California Association of County Executives, outlines how California county executives can leverage their funding opportunities to maximize local mental health and public safety efforts.
Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment in Oregon: Overview
This publication outlines the scope of a Behavioral Health Justice Reinvestment approach in Oregon to develop a statewide policy framework to help support tribal government, county, and local systems in improving recidivism and health outcomes for the small but important group of people who repeatedly cycle through the public safety and health systems.
Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program Resource Center
This resource center is an online clearinghouse of information, training, and other resources that support a variety of state, local, and tribal users, including BJA COAP grantees, policymakers, partner agencies and associations, peer recovery coaches, and families affected by the nationwide opioid epidemic.
The Turning Point: Getting on the Road to Ending the Over-Incarceration of People with Mental Health and Substance Use Needs
This publication provides recommendations for state and local advocacy to help end the over-incarceration of people living with mental health and substance use needs using a Sequential Intercept Mapping Model.
Recent headlines
In This Ohio Courthouse, Addiction Treatment Is Just down the Hall
Franklin County Municipal Court judges say most misdemeanor crime cases they see can be tied to the opioid epidemic. Those judges, the City Attorney, and probation officers all hope the treatment clinic can help.
At Opioid Task Force Meeting, Northampton Police Present One Approach to Combating Addiction
In Greenfield, about 75 percent of the officers have been trained on the Crisis Intervention Team, which is a model backed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and intended to help police work better with the community they serve, particularly those with mental health or addiction challenges.
Lafayette Parish Receives $750,000 Mental Health Grant
The grant continues established partnerships among the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Police Department, Acadiana Area Human Services District, Beacon Community Connections Inc., and 232-HELP.
Stepping Up Initiative Kicks off in Champaign County
Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Stratton is the project director for the Ohio Stepping Up initiative. Instead of addressing mental illness in jails on a county-by-county basis, Stratton said, Ohio is tackling the problem on a statewide basis. Including Champaign County, there are currently 45 counties in Ohio participating in the initiative.
As Opioid Overdose Death Toll Climbs, Wisconsin Expands Response
Wisconsin, which saw a record 916 overdose deaths from opioids in 2017, is expanding the depth and breadth of its response to the epidemic, largely through an influx of federal funds.
LEAD Diversion Program Is Expanding to the City of Burien, Washington
As the new year kicks off, so does the design for Burien’s version of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), a program that brings police, prosecutors and case managers together to move nonviolent, low-level offenders away from the criminal justice system and toward stability.
Chicago’s Jail Is One of the Country’s Biggest Mental Health Care Providers. Here’s a Look Inside.
Motivated by the growing mental health crisis, photographer Lili Kobielski set out in 2015 to capture portraits of the inmates, now compiled in the book I Refuse for the Devil to Take My Soul, which was released in December and includes transcripts of their interviews, plus poems they wrote during their incarceration.
Homeless People with Drug Addiction to Be Offered Rehab over Jail in New Program
For homeless people dealing with drug addiction, life can be an endless loop of arrests and incarcerations, often leading back to the street to repeat the cycle. In the near future, homeless people found to be under the influence of drugs when contacted by San Diego police officers will have a chance to break that cycle with an offer to meet with drug counselors rather than return to jail.
Time Is Running out for Federally Funded Mental-Health Clinics
An experimental mental-health and addiction treatment program that has shown early success in combating the opioid crisis is at risk of losing its federal funding. An estimated 9,000 patients could lose access to medication-assisted treatment, and 3,000 clinic jobs could be lost if the funding is not renewed, according to the National Council for Behavioral Health.
How One County Became a Lab for California’s Prison Reform
While overall crime in California increased slightly after 2011, San Joaquin County’s dropped 20 percent and hit a decades-old low last year. The county’s jail, which had been under court-ordered monitoring because of dangerous overcrowding, now has empty beds. Participation in specialized drug courts has increased and recidivism among newly released offenders has dropped.