Assist Home 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 Connecticut Department of Correction (CTDOC) will utilize their FY 2008 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Category II Planning and Implementation funds to support a statewide project to improve the availability of stable, affordable housing options for offenders with serious psychiatric disabilities. The target population are offenders over age 18 diagnosed with a mental illness and incarcerated on bonds of $100 to $25,000. The goal is to provide diversion and housing options with support services that will enable offenders with mental illness to reduce incarceration bed days and reintegrate into the community.

The project goals are to complete planning activities and develop a comprehensive strategic plan for providing housing upon re-entry to offenders with psychiatric disabilities in the criminal justice system; establish an infrastructure that ensures the continuity of care between the behavioral health and criminal justice systems and a sustainability plan; provide coordination at the state level to ensure there is an adequate level of resources for offenders with serious psychiatric disabilities; and identify target offenders with psychiatric disabilities incarcerated on low bond status for jail diversion. The major project activities are to convene a Re-Entry Housing Advisory Committee (REHAC) of 8-10 members to work with project partners to develop and conduct a local needs assessment that is inclusive of the target population and professionals serving or interacting with the target population; incorporate needs assessment findings and recommendations into the plan; ensure collaboration at all levels of the planning and implementation process; and establish a minimum of 15 housing placements for the target population with qualified community providers.

CA/NCF