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 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and provides grants to states to improve collaboration between criminal justice and mental health agencies. The program received $5 million in FY 06 and FY 07 and $6.5 million in FY 08.

Other criminal justice programs listed in the Senate appropriations bill include the Justice Assistance Grant program (JAG), which is slated to receive $580 million, and the Community Oriented Policing Services program (COPS), which is slated to receive $600 million. Additionally, $30 million was included for Drug Courts.

The full House Appropriations Committee will consider its FY 09 appropriations bill next week. For more information on the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, visit the Elizabeth Dodd.

At the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Convention, June 13-16, 2008, the Council of State Governments Justice Center provided a first look at the final version of Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement–Based Program. The publication is the result of many rounds of rigorous review and describes the 10 important program elements that jurisdictions should consider when planning, implementing or enhancing a specialized law enforcement–based response.

Download The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement–Based Program (PDF) for free.

As a growing number of communities grapple with implementing specialized law enforcement–based programs at the local level, there is an increased demand for more information on the key elements of promising programs. Several communities across the country have tried to identify critical program elements to promote consistency and quality. Until this BJA-supported effort, however, there had been limited debate or agreement at the national level about which elements were essential to successfully implement any specialized law enforcement–based response program—regardless of the specific model.

“As our appreciation grows for the important role that law enforcement plays in recognizing individuals in crisis and linking them to treatment, having clear guideposts for effective responses is critical. These essential elements provide that guidance,” said Ron Honberg, the National Director for Policy and Legal Affairs at NAMI.

The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement–Based Program serves as the centerpiece of a series of resources for law enforcement practitioners and their community partners, which BJA has produced as part of the Law Enforcement/Mental Health Partnership Program. This program is coordinated by the CSG Justice Center in partnership with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).  The Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses series includes a collection of resources that will complement the Essential Elements: a practical handbook on implementing effective training strategies; a monograph on tailoring law enforcement responses to the unique needs of a jurisdiction, which will include specific examples from the field; and web-based information on statewide efforts to coordinate these law enforcement responses. Also available is an online database, the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Information Network, which includes profiles of local law enforcement responses to people with mental illnesses.

The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement–Based Program and additional resources for law enforcement professionals and community partners can be found on the Consensus Project Law Enforcement webpage.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center invites state supreme court chief justices to submit an application to participate in the Chief Justices’ Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative. Selected chief justices will receive technical assistance and a small amount of funding support as they convene a collaborate task force of state leaders to develop concrete strategies for improving outcomes for people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system. Read more information on this initiative and download the solicitation at http://consensusproject.org/updates/features/2008JLI.

• Kathi Trawver, former program director of the Anchorage Mental Health Court and doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work, is recruiting mental health courts to participate in her dissertation research to inform mental health court policy and program development, “Who Succeeds in Mental Health Courts? Identifying Predictors Related to Participant Success.” Interested individuals should contact Kathi directly at (907) 786-6915 or afkrt@uaa.alaska.edu.


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

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 purpose of the crisis-intervention training is to better understand mental illnesses and people with the conditions, said Sharon Lipford, executive director for the Office of Mental Health."

New York Sun (NY) - Steps outlined to reduce risk of violence among mentally ill
6/13/08 - "Based on recommendations from a joint state and city task force, Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg outlined a series of bold changes within the adult mental health system and the criminal justice system, including increased information sharing between law enforcement authorities and those who care for mentally ill patients."

The Town Talk (LA) - 911 dispatchers get much-needed training course
6/05/08 - "A number of area law enforcement officers have been trained to deal with people in crisis on the street for about a year now. But the people who first interact with those in need  dispatchers answering 911 calls  had never before received any training. But on Wednesday that need was met when the Volunteers of America& held a class at the Alexandria Police Department for dispatchers from four area parishes."

Courier Post Online (NJ) - Crisis program teaches patience
6/01/08 - The Collingswood Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team has illustrated improved responses to people with mental illnesses. With these successes, champions of the program hope that it will continue to spread throughout the state.

News & Observer (NC) - Goal: Keep mentally ill out of jail
6/01/08 - "A group of North Carolina lawmakers assured residents Saturday that they support doing more to prevent people with addictions or mental illness from ending up in jail."

Black Voice News (CA) - Mental health focus of Riverside Police Department training
5/29/08 -"High profile incidents involving use of force and fatal shootings has led many law enforcement agencies to rethink the strategies their officers use to interface with mentally ill individuals… [Riverside Police] Department representatives told community leaders the development of the training was long overdue… Now it was finally being realized."

Deseret News (UT) - Editorial: Add mental health courts
5/27/08 - "Utah can build upon the successes of the Mental-Health Court, which was piloted in 3rd District Court seven years ago."

Daily Progress - Group aims to prepare area police for crises
5/26/08 - "As the state is preparing to strengthen its mental health guidelines, a local program is hoping to increase the number of law enforcement officers who can defuse crisis situations. The Thomas Jefferson Area Crisis Intervention Team program is asking local police departments to have 55 percent of their staffs undergo CIT training within the next fiscal year. By July, police departments from Charlottesville, Albemarle and the University of Virginia are expected to have 40 percent of their officers trained."

St Petersburg Times (FL) - Mental health court begins in Hernando this summer
5/24/08 - "The county’s first mental health court will be in session this summer."

Jamestown Press (RI) - Police train for calls involving mentally ill
5/22/08 - Jamestown Police receive free training "to help them properly respond to emergency situations involving the mentally ill."

Kane County Chronicle (IL) - Defendants with mental illness given 2nd chance
5/18/08 - "[Kane County’s Treatment Alternative Court] treats defendants with a mental illness with therapy and other help in lieu of jail time."

The Post (OH) - Athens Crisis Intervention Team ranked best in state
5/16/08 - "The Athens Crisis Intervention Team program was honored as Ohio’s best on May 9 by the Ohio Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program teaches law enforcement officers how to handle situations with people who have mental health disorders, said Betsy Johnson, associate executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Ohio."