Stabilize out of prison

Project Summary: Fulton County Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) at the Office of the District Attorney will collaborate with Morehouse Medical School (MSM) to address mental health and substance use disorder challenges, as well as other reentry services, for individuals convicted in Fulton County who qualify for post-conviction sentence modification. The criminal justice system is plagued by recidivism, due in large part to residents with untreated mental health and substance use issues.

The primary activities include: 1. identifying participants; 2. re-entry planning while still incarcerated with Project Manager; 3. Meeting with MMS to go over psycho-social; 4. Petition for re-sentencing; 5. Team re-evaluation of needs; 6. Project Manager set-up services; 7. Begin implementing re-entry plan; 8. Weekly check-in with Peer Mentor; 9. Weekly checkin with Project Manager; 10. Bi-weekly meetings with MMS and CIU and other participants to discuss each case.
Expected outcomes: We estimate reducing baseline recidivism rate to 18% in year one, 15% in year two, and 11% by year three.
Service Area: Fulton County includes 15 municipalities and is the largest county in the state with its largest city, Atlanta, the capital of the state of Georgia. The race percentages of the Fulton County population are approximately 44% Black, 39% White, 7% Asian, 2% two or more races, and 7% Hispanic/Latino.
The proposed project will promote racial equity and the removal of barriers to access opportunity for communities that have been historically underserved. CIU recognizes that there may be an apparent causal connection between the offense charged and the rehabilitative needs of a defendant. Further, the rehabilitative model emphasizes that social, cultural, and economic conditions often result in a defendant's decision to commit crime. Morehouse School of Medicine is located within Black and medically underserved communities allowing individuals to conveniently access their health care.
Morehouse School of Medicine will receive 40% of the grant budget, a historically Black (HBMS) Medical School and led a leader regarding the intersections of social justice, criminal justice, and mental health. The Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and Interim Chair of the Department of Psychiatry will also provide critical training to judges and judicial staff in response to mental illness.