New Mexico Justice and Mental Health Planning Project

The Bureau of Justice Assistances (BJA) Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) is funded through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-414), which was reauthorized in 2008 (Public Law 110-416). The primary purpose of JMHCP is 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 mental health and other treatment services for those individuals with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Jurisdictions are eligible to apply for planning, planning and implementation, or expansion funding through JMHCP.

The State of New Mexico's Children Youth and Families Department will use the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) grant funds ($50,000) to develop a collaborative strategic plan. This strategic planning process will involve juvenile justice, youth consumers and their families, and community-based behavioral health service providers. This plan will also involve the statewide Single Entity for behavioral health, and other stakeholders that will use a phased approach to develop and implement a system of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse intensive outpatient treatment services. These services will assist youth aged 13 to 21, involved in the New Mexico justice system.

CA/NCF