Success Opportunity Advancement and Renew (SOAR) Project

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) seeks to increase public safety through an innovative, cross-system collaborative response for individuals with mental illness who come in contact with the criminal or juvenile justice systems. This program is funded through the Public Law 110-161 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008) and is authorized through Public Law 108-414 (Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, 2004). The program is designed to increase public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment systems to increase access to services for offenders with mental illness. Activities under this initiative will encourage early intervention for 'system-involved' individuals with mental illness; provide new and existing mental health courts with various treatment options; maximize diversion opportunities for non-violent offenders with mental illness and co-occurring disorders; promote training for justice and treatment professionals on criminal justice processes and mental health and substance abuse issues; and facilitate communication, collaboration, and the delivery of support services among justice professionals, treatment and related service providers, and governmental partners.

The Colorado Judicial Department will use fiscal year 2008 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program funds to implement a program that will provide substance abuse and mental health services to females and families in the criminal justice system. Project Success Opportunity Advancement & Renew (SOAR) will provide screening, assessment, evidence-based treatment, and advocacy-based case management for 60 court involved females and families over the two year grant period. The purpose of SOAR is to implement and expand the existing treatment court programs, by linking a female based diversion project that offers gender-specific, evidence-based, and culturally competent services to young females with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse problems. The Colorado Judicial Department and/or a contractor will provide the following services: 1) central identification, assessment, treatment planning, and case management for all court involved youth; 2) comprehensive screening that will include administering a youth screening inventory, drug testing, and completing youth and family interviews; 3) case management services utilizing the parents/guardians; 4) wrap around services that will emphasize educational, vocational, mentoring, family, primary health care, medications procurement, and other services needed to promote success and prevent future crime; and 5) mental health and ancillary services which will include mental health and substance abuse intervention, medical evaluations, psychotropic medications, tutoring, family services, pro-social activities, and other programming to ensure youth success.

CA/NCF