Alameda County Justice and Mental Health Planning Collaborative

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 Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (ACHCSA) in conjunction with the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS) and the Alameda County Probation Department (ACPD) will use FY 2008 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Category I Planning funds to administer the Alameda County Justice and Mental Health Planning Collaboration (JMHP Collaboration).

This collaboration project will focus on two main outcomes. The first outcome will be the development of a cross systems strategy for interagency coordination and communication, to ensure that all Alameda County youth offenders and other juvenile justice system involved youth receive appropriate mental health screening and treatment. The second outcome will be the increase in public safety of Alameda County residents through the provision of proper juvenile justice interventions. A connective infrastructure will be formed between the juvenile justice system, mental health provider networks, and school systems to effectively identify and address the mental health needs of youth in a timely manner who are incarcerated, detained, or reentering the community.

CA/NCF