Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project

Senate includes $12 million for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction program

On June 19, the Senate completed the mark-up of its 2009 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill. In the bill, the Senate reserved $12 million for mental health courts and adult and juvenile collaboration program grants authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA).

In addition, on June 25, the House Appropriations Committee completed the mark-up of the 2009 appropriations bill, reserving $10 million for grant programs under MIOTCRA.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS / EVENTS

New resource available: The criminalization of mental illness: Crisis and opportunity for the justice system

Save the date: 9/21/08 - 9/24/08 NASMHPD Forensic Division 2008 Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA

Urban Justice Center's "Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities Legal Advocacy Project" (PPDLAP) scheduled to begin July, 2008

New resource available: Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System

CSG Justice Center Releases New Edition of Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court

U.S. House passes the Second Chance Act on prisoner reentry

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MEDIA COVERAGE

Daily Herald (IL) - A caring approach to fighting crime: Mental-health courts show promise locally, nationwide
6/19/08 - In 1997, just four mental-health courts were known to exist in the country. Today, there are more than 175, including mental-health courts in McHenry, Cook, Lake, Kane and DuPage counties.

Baltimore Sun (MD) - Officers get view of mental illness
6/15/08 - "...35 police officers from five agencies policing Harford County learned about responding to situations involving people with mental health illnesses" during a four-day training session.

The New York Times (NY) - Editorial: A court for veterans
6/04/08 - "There is a small bright spot on the normally bleak terrain for military veterans who return home and fall into addiction, mental illness and crime."

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JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION PROGRAM

The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides technical assistance to the Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees, who are planning, implementing, or expanding collaborative programs that improve responses to people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system.

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INFONET

The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Information Network (InfoNet) is a new online database that provides a comprehensive inventory of collaborative criminal justice/mental health activity across the country and serves as a platform for peer-to-peer networking.

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MENTAL HEALTH COURTS

The Council of State Governments Justice Center has provided technical assistance to mental health courts across the country and now coordinates the Bureau of Justice Assistance's mental health court learning sites program.

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