Did You Know…

Transformation and Jail Diversion

In September 2005, SAMHSA awarded Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grants (MHT SIG) to seven states: Connecticut, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington. The following year, grants were awarded to two additional states: Hawaii and Missouri. The MHT SIG program is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Infrastructure Grant program that supports an array of infrastructure and service improvement activities to help grantees build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health and related services. These grants are unique in that they support new and expanded planning and development to promote system transformation explicitly designed to foster recovery and meet the multiple needs of consumers using a public health framework.

Ohio has implemented a broad range of strategies to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and to improve treatment availability and quality of life throughout the state by establishing 35 mental health courts; implementing more than 50 jail diversion programs; and training more than 2,500 police officers in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). The State has also increased the number of safe and affordable housing opportunities and supports for persons with mental illness leaving prisons or jails by working with the Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing to develop 50 housing units specifically for the forensic population.

The state of Washington has recommended that the legislature increase funding for Expedited Medical Eligibility determination for mentally ill offenders leaving jails, prisons, and institutions for mental disease or detention. The State has also recommended that the Economic Services Administration (ESA) adopts standardized screening and application practices that will ensure medical and mental health coverage. In addition, the state has established four Crisis Stabilization Units to provide mental health crisis services and referrals to appropriate resources in the community, in lieu of arrest and detention. Furthermore, changing state laws to create immunity from civil liability for landlords renting to ex-offenders has also increased housing available to ex-offenders.

These are just a few examples of how transformation funding has helped to create alternatives for justice-involved persons with mental illness. Each of the Transformation States has used funding to increase community awareness of mental illness, reduce stigma, implement legislative changes that affect services for people with mental illness, and reduce rates of incarceration of people with mental illness.

What’s Happening in Your Community

Reentry Council of the City and County of San Francisco

The Reentry Council of San Francisco coordinates local efforts to support adults exiting San Francisco County Jail, San Francisco juvenile justice out-of-home placements, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities, and the United States Federal Bureau of Prison facilities. Since 2005, two ad hoc reentry councils, the Safe Communities Reentry Council (SCRC) and the San Francisco Reentry Council (SFRC), have focused on different aspects of the reentry of people from prisons and jails.

Getting Out & Staying Out: A Guide to San Francisco Resources for People Leaving Jails and Prisons is a comprehensive resource guide created by the Access to Resources Working Group, a collaboration of SCRC and SFRC, to help recently released individuals navigate San Francisco’s public benefits, housing, health and employment service programs. To read more about the Reentry Council or to download a copy of the Resource Guid http://sfreentry.com/.

Announcements

GAINS 2010 Conference Call for Presentations are now being accepted http://www.gainscenter.samhsa.gov/html/conference/call_for_presentations.asp

New Study on Prevalence of Mental Illness in Jails http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/60/6/761

New Guide on Improving Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses http://consensusproject.org/downloads/community.corrections.research.guide.pdf

NPAMC Releases New Video on Alcohol Misuse and Crime
http://www.alcoholandcrime.org/

More Resources from GAINS

Leveling the Playing Field: Practical Strategies for Increasing Veterans’ Involvement in Diversion and Reentry Programs

The findings and directives issued by the President’s New Freedom Commission regarding the development of a system that is consumer and family driven, has led many states and their partners to increase efforts to involve consumers along a continuum of core activities. Jail diversion and prison reentry programs have been at the forefront in integrating consumers in activities, ranging from participation in local and statewide advisory groups to becoming dedicated staff members.

Nevertheless, states and communities encounter significant difficulties in engaging consumers and sustaining their involvement. This is especially acute when veterans are a primary program target group. Reciprocally, veterans and other consumers experience difficulties in their efforts to participate as full partners in jail diversion and prison reentry activities. Leveling the Playing Field: Practical Strategies for Increasing Veterans’ Involvement in Diversion and Reentry Programs was designed to ensure that veterans with histories of incarceration are positioned to inform, support, and lead efforts to reform the criminal justice and mental health systems by identifying and addressing the obstacles that prevent meaningful veteran involvement. A copy of Leveling the Playing Fieldcan be downloaded at: http://www.gainscenter.samhsa.gov/pdfs/veterans/levelingthefield_veterans.pdf

What’s Upcoming

Conferences

9/10 - 13 – DBSA 2009 National Conference, Indianapolis, IN
http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_conference2009.

9/12 - 19 – NASDVA Annual Conference, Ashville, NC
http://www.nasdva.net/events/nasdva-annual-conference

9/16 - 18 – NYAPRS Annual Conference – A Home, a Job and a Date on the Weekend, Hudson Valley, NY http://www.nyaprs.org/PDF/NYAPRS_09_Conf Announcement_final.pdf

9/21 - 26 – 14th International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, San Diego, CA  http://www.ivatcenters.org/

9/28 - 30 – NASMHPD – Forensic Division Conference, Virginia Beach, VA http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/community/eventdetails.do?eventId=222626&orgId=nasmhpd

Webinars/Teleconferences

9/10 – Social Inclusion & Trauma-Informed Care, Addressing Trauma and Mental Health through a National Education Campaign http://www.promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov/teleconferences/archive/training
/teleconference09102009.aspx

September Webinars from NCCBH on Healthcare Reform http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/national_council_live/upcoming_webinars