April 2011 e-newsletter
FEATURESFAQ on the Behavioral Health Needs of People Returning from Prison and Jail
The National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC)—which, like the Consensus Project, is coordinated by the CSG Justice Center—recently published a set of frequently asked questions on the substance use and mental and physical health of people involved with the criminal justice system. The FAQ was prepared by the NRRC’s Committee on Health, Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.
Technical Assistance Available from Madison (WI) Police Department
As one of six law enforcement/mental health “learning sites” selected by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center (with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance), the Madison (WI) Police Department (MPD) is available to offer guidance to other jurisdictions on how best to respond to people with mental illnesses. Over the years the MPD has developed a number of innovative strategies to improve the outcomes of these encounters. The department conducts outreach to people with mental illnesses in the community, provides intensive scenario-based training for officers, and collects data. Jurisdictions starting a law enforcement/mental health collaboration or looking to enhance an existing collaboration can benefit greatly from MPD’s vast experience in this area.
New SAMHSA Grant for Behavioral Health Treatment Courts
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and Mental Health Services (CMHS) are accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2011 Grants to Develop and Expand Behavioral Health Treatment Court Collaboratives. This new grant program combines SAMHSA’s drug court and offender reentry treatment services programming and funding with its mental health diversion and systems transformation programming and funding. This represents a new approach for SAMHSA. By combining previous and current SAMHSA criminal justice–treatment linkage programs with infrastructure planning and development activities, the grant program hopes to create new court and community networks to transform the behavioral health system at the community level. The grant program is open to all criminal justice and family/child dependency courts, as well as reentry courts. The deadline for applications is June 6, 2011. To learn more about this funding opportunity, click here.
New CSG Justice Center FAQ on Health Reform Legislation
The Council of State Governments Justice Center recently released a frequently asked questions document, "The Implications of Federal Health Legislation on Justice-Involved Populations." This FAQ examines how the health reform legislation, which was passed one year ago last month, expands these adults’ eligibility for Medicaid and what services will now be available to them, the requirements and exemptions specified by the legislation, and how Medicaid enrollment will take place. To download the FAQ, click here.
Congress Passes Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Bill: $9.6 M for MIOTCRA
On Thursday the House passed the continuing resolution (CR) for the rest of the fiscal year by a 260-167 vote. The Senate followed quickly with a 81-19 vote, avoiding a government shutdown. This feature describes how MIOTCRA and other DOJ initiatives fared.
Featured Video: Author Discusses Son’s Experience with CJ and MH Systems
This month’s featured video is of Pete Earley, the Pulitzer-nominated author of Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness. Earley addressed attendees at the 2009 Bureau of Justice Assistance National Technical Assistance and Training on July 15, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The hour-long video is available here.
Articles from newspapers around the country covering issues at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice can be found on the Consensus Project website. Some recent headlines from the homepage are posted below.