The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) has made available fiscal year 2002, 2003, and 2004 funds for programs to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system to mental health treatment and appropriate support services. These grants or cooperative agreements are made as part of the SAMHSA/CMHS Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) program. The title of this TCE program is Jail Diversion Programs.

The goals of this program are to:

• Support community-based mental health services for individuals who have a mental illness or co-occurring disorders who are diverted from the criminal justice system;
• Assure that jail diversion programs are based on the best known practices and reflect current research findings;
• Form and support interagency collaboration between the appropriate criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse systems;
• Engage in policy analysis and development activities at a local level to promote implementation and sustenance of diversion activities; and
• Use federal funds to supplement, and not supplant, State, local, Indian tribe, or tribal organization sources of funding that would otherwise be available.

The TCE Jail Diversion Program, based on the Public Health Service Act, section 520G, is coordinated with the Department of Justice's solicitation "Mental Health Court Grants Program," authorized in P.L. 106-515, Part V, Section 2201. The overall goal of this collaboration is to improve policy and practice for addressing the needs of persons with a mental illness or co-occurring disorders who become involved with the criminal justice system.