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Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense Study Evaluates Mental Health Courts, Mental Health Public Defenders
A new study by the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense (TFID), Representing the Mentally Ill Offender, found positive criminal justice and treatment outcomes for participants in mental health courts (MHCs) and defendants...
Read more Courts, Mental Health
BJA Director Delivers Statement at Senate Hearing on Law Enforcement Responses to Americans with Mental Illnesses and Disabilities
The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights recently held a hearing to discuss the challenges law enforcement officers face when interacting with individuals with mental illnesses and/or disabilities, and the...
Read more Crisis Systems, Law Enforcement, Mental Health, Co-Occurring Substance Use
Report Highlights How States Can Help People Leaving Prison and Jail Get Mental Health Care and Substance Use Treatment
The National Reentry Resource Center released Critical Connections, a discussion paper that identifies key questions state and local leaders should ask as part of their efforts to help people leaving prison...
Read more Correctional Facilities, Mental Health, Co-Occurring Substance Use
Statewide Summit Brings Together Teams from California Counties to Address Mental Illness Crisis in Local Jails
A two-day summit bringing together almost every county in California was held this week as part of Stepping Up, a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. [caption id="attachment_70615"...
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Spotlight on JMHCP: How Johnson County, Kansas, Used Data to Plan and Map a Systemwide Response
Each month, the Justice Center spotlights high-quality collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives that have received funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). Justice Center staff members ask the...
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Using Data to Maximize the Results of Diversion Programs Targeting People with Mental Illnesses
No one needed to tell Hillsborough County Jail Superintendent James O’Mara or New Hampshire District Court Judge James Leary that more people with serious mental illnesses were locked up in the local jail than ever...
Read more Correctional Facilities, Courts, Housing, Mental Health
Salt Lake County Leaders Endorse Criminal Justice Recommendations Issued by CSG Justice Center
By the CSG Justice Center Staff Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, Sheriff Jim Winder and District Attorney Sim Gill today endorsed the recommendations of a just-completed, independent study about the county’s ongoing efforts to...
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Franklin County, Salt Lake County Each Allocate Millions to Improve Local Jail Systems
By Ashleigh Fryer, CSG Justice Center Staff Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown speaks at the Stepping Up National Summit. Two counties—one in Ohio, the other in Utah—are backing their words with action following separate reports...
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Two Counties Use Online Mental Health Court Curriculum to Work Toward Program Sustainability
By Ashleigh Fryer, CSG Justice Center Staff For many jurisdictions, sustaining a mental health court program can prove challenging both monetarily and in terms of staff capacity. Grant funding often provides the seed money to...
Read more Correctional Facilities, Courts, Mental Health