Justice and Mental Health Collaboration program

The North Dakota Brain Injury Network located within the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences proposes to implement the Brain Injury Screening and Reentry Program within the Bismarck, North Dakota penitentiary. The intention is to develop and implement brain injury screening, support, and community-based reentry protocols for justice-involved individuals with the goal of reducing recidivism.

Project activities include establishing a Steering Committee; developing and implementing a training curriculum to increase brain injury informed justice and behavioral health workforce; implementation of brain injury psychoeducation classes within the penitentiary; developing and implementing a referral and support protocol to provide resource facilitation during reentry; and increasing access to peer support to the target populations.

Expected outcomes include the development of a multi-disciplinary team to address the needs of individuals with brain injury; provision of evidence-based brain injury psychoeducation classes; provision of brain injury reentry programing; reduction in recidivism; and regular program assessments. Subrecipient, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators, activities include development of brain injury on demand training and supporting the development and formalization of a Peer Support Model specific to the criminal legal system. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.