Snapshot Available of the 2006 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration
Program Grantees
A snapshot of the 27 jurisdictions awarded grants under the Bureau of Justice Assistance's 2006 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is now available.
Click here to download the snapshot.
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program facilitates collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance abuse systems to improve the response to people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program-authorized by the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act-is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Council of State Governments Justice Center prepared this snapshot in its role as technical assistance provider to the grantees.
To learn more, click here.
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CSG Justice Center Releases 2007 Calendar of Available Dates to Visit BJA Mental Health Court Learning Sites
The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Mental Health Court Learning Sites have developed a new calendar of available dates for site visits. One- or two-days visits are available for jurisdictions interested in planning or implementing a mental health court or comparing another court's operations to its own.
Site visits can be scheduled by contacting Lauren Almquist or by faxing or emailing a technical assistance request form, which can be downloaded from the Consensus Project website. Site visits can also be scheduled by contacting the learning sites directly. To learn more about a particular learning site or to view its contact information, please click below.
For more information about the learning sites program, click here.
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CSG Justice Center Launches Interactive Chart of Re-Entry Housing Options
The Council of State Governments Justice Center, with funding support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, has developed an interactive web-based chart of different housing options available for people released from prison or jail. The chart, a product of the Justice Center's Re-Entry Policy Council, compares different types of housing according to several dimensions including potential funding sources, level of availability in the community, typical length of stay, and potential barriers to accessing a particular option.
The interactive chart also offers descriptions of programs that have successfully provided housing to individuals returning to the community from prison or jail, and provides links to the programs' websites when available. The purpose of the chart is to help policymakers, corrections administrators, and transition planners understand the housing options available in the community, including options geared toward people with mental illnesses, and develop feasible housing plans for these and other individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
For more information on housing and the Re-Entry Policy Council, click here.
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Announcements
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Criminal Justice and Mental Health in the News
Articles from the Consensus Project homepage - from newspapers around the country - covering issues at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice are posted below. To access a complete list of media coverage, visit the media coverage page.
New York Times (NY) - Florida Adopts Plan for Mentally Ill Inmates
1/11/07 - "About 300 mentally ill inmates in county jails throughout Florida will eventually be moved to psychiatric hospitals and residential centers for treatment after state lawmakers agreed on Wednesday to an emergency spending measure."
Courier Journal (KY) - Senator wants police trained to deal with mentally ill
1/10/07 - "Kentucky Sen. Julie Denton, Middletown, wants every police department in the state to have officers who are specially trained to handle the mentally ill."
Tahoe Daily Tribune (CA) - Mental illness program to broaden
1/04/07 - "A grant will help expand the Behavioral Health Court, which combines various agencies to keep mentally ill inmates out of jail and into a healthy, productive lifestyle."
The Houston Chronicle (TX) - Service combines justice, therapy
1/02/07 - "A public defender's office solely representing the mentally ill - believed to be the first of its kind in the nation - will soon begin serving Travis County criminal defendants."
Reno Gazette-Journal (VA) - Mental health court seen as example for state
12/10/06 - "The success of the Washoe County Mental Health Court underscores the need to improve the state's overall mental-health system."
The Denver Post (CO) - Human services director targeted
12/6/06 - "A Denver judge has threatened to fine or imprison the head of the Colorado Mental Health Institute unless the Pueblo hospital finds room to treat mentally ill inmates now languishing in jail cells."
The Seattle Times (WA) - Mental illness dilemma for jail
11/27/06 - "Someone booked into the King County Jail on a criminal charge or a conviction will likely stay there an average of nine to 35 days. If the alleged offender is mentally ill, the stay will typically stretch to 158 days, more than five months."
The Kentucky Post (KY) - Mental health focus of new police training
11/18/06 - "Campbell County Police Chief Keith Hill estimates that although about 20 percent of the situations his people encounter involve people with mental health problems, the officers have received little training in how to recognize and deal with such individuals."
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