St. Louis Youth Diversion Program

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 St. Louis Mental Health Board of Trustees will use their FY 2008 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (Implementation and Expansion) funds to continue their community's progress toward addressing the mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system. They will identify the mental health needs of youth at the earliest stage possible, and increase the availability of multi-systemic therapy to divert these youth from further penetration into the justice system. They will increase cross-systems training for juvenile justice and mental health providers to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of their responses to youth with mental health, substance use, co-occurring, and developmental disorders. Deputy juvenile officers will be trained to administer a screening instrument and collaborate with mental health providers for further assessment.

CA/NCF