From first contact to reentry, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), along with its Connect and Protect program, supports criminal justice and behavioral health systems across the country. Through funding and other resources, JMHCP helps leaders as they safely divert people from the justice system and increase access to mental health treatment, innovative crisis services, housing supports, and more. Learn more about the cross-system, collaborative work that JMHCP helps make possible.
Across this nation, communities are forming critical partnerships among their criminal justice and behavioral health systems for one common goal: connecting more people to treatment and reducing their contact with the justice system. BJA is privileged to support this work at every point in the criminal justice system through the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). For more than 15 years, JMHCP has been at the forefront of building equitable and effective diversion opportunities, innovative services, and reentry systems that center each person’s needs.
Karhlton F. Moore, Director, U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
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JMHCP and Connect and Protect offer free, tailored support to communities.
Highlights
Initiatives
JMHCP and Connect and Protect support several nationwide initiatives that can help communities improve their crisis responses, public safety efforts, and criminal justice and behavioral health system partnerships. Read more about these initiatives:
Peer-to-Peer Learning Sites
25 model sites throughout the criminal justice system serve as a resource for other departments.
Stepping Up
A national initiative to reduce the number of people in jail who have a mental health condition.
Propelling Change
A national call to action for prosecutors to support connections to community-based treatment and supports.
Issue Areas
People with mental health conditions, co-occurring substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. But communities around the country are working to change that reality. Through funding and other resources, JMHCP and Connect and Protect build bridges across systems and help community leaders come together to expand opportunities for diversion at every point in the justice system. Select a specific issue area to learn more about how these grant programs are working to support positive reforms.