Bridging the Justice-Health Divide: Furthering Innovation through Information Sharing Project

The Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated (FI) Program is funded under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a) et seq.), the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state, local and tribal jurisdiction. It is designed to prevent and reduce crime and enhance the criminal justice system through collaboration with the field to identify, define, and respond to emerging or chronic crime problems and systemic issues. The FI Program furthers the Department's mission by trying new approaches, addressing gaps in responses, building or translating research knowledge, or building capacity to address the issues that bring fresh perspectives and ideas to enhance practices and prevent crime in the field.

The Vera Institute of Justice Inc. will use support the development and dissemination of a data-led model for increasing treatment access for criminal justice populations with mental health disorders (MHD). The goals of the project are to create a multi-agency database to profile rates of MHD, service engagement and Medicaid enrollment; to support D.C. agencies in efforts to use data to guide decision-making, and to provide practical guidance practitioners. CA/NCF