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JMHCP Grant

Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) Grant

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) provides grants directly to states, local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes to improve responses to people with mental illnesses who are involved in the criminal justice system. JMHCP funding requires collaboration with a mental health agency.

Launched in 2021, the Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program is a new funding opportunity available under the JMHCP program. Awards will help communities improve collaborative law enforcement responses to people with behavioral health needs. This program aims to reduce unnecessary law enforcement contact, connect people to needed treatment and supports, and improve public safety.

Allowable Uses of JMHCP Funding

In recent years, the JMHCP grant solicitation has made law enforcement-driven initiatives a priority. JMHCP grants can be used to design or implement a new PMHC initiative or to expand an existing one. JMHCP grantees receive funding, training and technical assistance (TTA), as well as access to national resources and experts to guide or enhance their efforts. JMHCP-funded efforts can also promote appropriate diversion from the criminal justice system and increase access to community-based health care. Examples of how grant funds have been used include the following:

  • Developing and facilitating mental health and crisis de-escalation training for law enforcement
  • Developing or expanding PMHC programs (e.g., hiring a coordinator or extending hours of operation for crisis response teams)
  • Developing or enhancing computerized systems to support information sharing and data collection and program evaluation
  • Developing an engagement center/”receiving center” and other diversion-related resources.

VIEW JMHCP FUNDING INFORMATION


For More Information:

For more information on solicitation announcements and timing of applications, visit the main BJA site Funding & Awards page.

The above information is intended to provide guidance to the reader and is not a substitute for the instructions contained in the JMHCP solicitation.

Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Sites

Support jurisdictions in exploring strategies to improve the outcomes of encounters between law enforcement and people who have mental illnesses.

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Contact Police Mental Health Collaboration

Please submit questions, policies and training materials that can benefit others for review and consideration.

Contact PMHC

Focused Tools for Law Enforcement

Many communities struggle with the PMHC program design process. Communities are unsure how to design and develop a PMHC program that meets their distinct needs and challenges. One way to increase knowledge of PMHCs, is to review programs that other jurisdictions have developed and tailor those programs to your specific community needs.

Law Enforcement agencies interested in expanding their knowledge base, starting, or enhancing a PMHC, can contact The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) or BJA’s Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Provider. BJA supports these urban and rural police departments to act as host-sites to visiting law enforcement agencies and their mental health partners.

Located across the country, these learning sites represent a diverse cross-section of perspectives and program examples and are dedicated to helping other jurisdictions improve their responses to people with mental illnesses.

Opportunities

The fourteen learning sites host site visits from interested colleagues and other local and state government officials, answer questions from the field, and work with BJA’s TTA provider to develop materials for practitioners and their community partners.

TTA is provided to law enforcement agencies and their community partners in an effort to assist with the development or implementation of PMHC strategies. Supplemental funds can be made available to agencies that are interested in visiting the learning sites. This is a focused approach intended to provide your agency with access to outstanding peer resources for police-mental health collaboration programs.

PMHC Map

To request TTA and receive confirmation within 36 hours of your request

Complete the TA request form.

For questions not addressed by the Law Enforcement Mental Health Learning Site web page, contact [email protected]