Co-Occurring Substance Use
A disproportionate number of people in the criminal justice system have co-occurring mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Indeed, approximately 60 percent of people who are incarcerated meet the criteria for “drug dependence or abuse.” Further, people have a significantly higher risk of death due to overdose when released from jail or prison than the general public.
Despite these high levels of substance addiction, relatively few people who come into contact with the justice system receive appropriate treatment. JMHCP assistance can help jurisdictions ensure that treatment—including Medication-Assisted Treatment for alcohol and opioid addiction, counseling, and behavioral therapy—is delivered in correctional facilities, at reentry, and in the community. These efforts to increase treatment access can help prevent relapse, overdose, and further involvement in the criminal justice system.
Justice and Behavioral Health Strategy Lab
Selected Resources
How Counties Are Responding to Behavioral Health Needs and Improving Public Safety
Co-Occurring Substance Use
Trauma-Informed Approaches Across the Sequential Intercept Model
Co-Occurring Substance Use
Improving Responses to People Who Have Co-occurring Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders in Jails
Co-Occurring Substance Use, Correctional Facilities, Mental Health
Key Staff
Avery Bertocci
Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health
Avery Bertocci provides technical assistance to federal grantees and works with leaders and stakeholders to help communities address challenges at the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, Avery was a recovery support navigator at Spectrum Health Systems’ MA Department of Corrections Medication Assisted Treatment Program. She worked with returning citizens with substance use disorder to support their reentry, substance use treatment, connection to resources, and continued treatment. Avery previously worked as a case manager at a men’s residential reentry program in Boston and with justice-involved young men in New Zealand at an outdoor therapy-based diversion program. She earned her BA at Wheaton College (MA) and her MPA at Suffolk University.
Ethan Kelly
Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health
Ethan Kelly provides technical assistance to grantees working with people who have co-occurring substance addictions and mental illnesses and are involved in the criminal justice system. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, Ethan was a clinical supervisor and trainer for behavioral health/criminal justice programs, managing a pretrial mental health program and providing trainings on mental health, critical incident stress management, and criminogenic risk. He earned his BSW from Southern Connecticut State University and his MSW from Fordham University.
Sarah Wurzburg
Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health
Andrea Taatjes provides technical assistance to grantees focused on substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and mental illness to enhance collaboration between state and local agencies. Andrea is a licensed mental health counselor who has an extensive history working in criminal justice and community behavioral health settings. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Andrea worked as the behavioral health coordinator for the Portland Police Department in Maine, where she oversaw the Behavioral Health Unit that is nationally recognized for its law enforcement-mental health co-responder program. She also created the department’s first Alternative Response Program, which deploys civilian mental health teams to appropriate 911 calls for service without law enforcement. Andrea earned her BA in psychology from The University of New England and her MA in forensic and counseling psychology from William James College.