U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Mental health

Community Courts Initiative

This initiative supports state, local, and federally recognized tribal governments to establish and enhance community courts, which are neighborhood-focused court programs that combine the power of the community and the justice system to address local problems.

JAG Funding Supports Jacksonville Reentry Program

Alex May (right) stands with Matthew Duncan for a photo after each earned their GED with the help of the DAWN Program. Photo courtesy Shelletta Baker
Alex May (right) stands with Matthew Duncan for a photo after each earned their GED with the help of the DAWN Program. Photo courtesy Shelletta Baker.

At 19, Alex May knew she was hanging out with the wrong people.

Looking back, she admits that she didn't do enough to change the bad habits she held—the habits that eventually landed her in the Duval County correctional system.

Beginning in March 2014, May was in-and-out of the county jail over the next 20 months. The Jacksonville, Florida, native faced drug-related and other charges...

Supporting Victims of Sex Trafficking in Portland

New Options for Women connects women with needed services to escape 'the game.'

From left to right: New Options for Women (NOW) Staff Members Robin Miller, Kendra Harding, and Kelly Clark. Photo Courtesy Kendra Harding.
From left to right: New Options for Women (NOW) Staff Members Robin Miller, Kendra Harding, and Kelly Clark. Photo Courtesy Kendra Harding.

For Robin Miller, the job as case manager at the New Options for Women (NOW) Program in Portland, Oregon, is a rewarding one as she helps women escape the commercial sex trade industry.

But there's also a fair share of heartbreak and tears involved.

After all, Miller herself is a survivor of...

BJA-Funded Program Supports Problem-Solving Courts Across Illinois

Trainings provide communities with the tools and knowledge to best serve court participants.

Across Illinois, more than 100 problem-solving courts support individuals with a behavioral or mental health disorder who are involved in the criminal justice system.

When the state began implementing standards for problem-solving courts statewide in 2016, a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grantee, The Illinois Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and...

Visiting Fellows Program

Through this program, BJA invests in leaders in the field to advance priority national policy issues and offer cross-developmental opportunities for Department of Justice staff and criminal justice practitioners and researchers.

Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI)

This initiative works in partnership with states to analyze complex criminal justice challenges, develop and implement data-driven solutions, and maximize resources to achieve stronger communities and public safety.

Mental Health Courts Program

This program funds projects that seek to mobilize communities to implement innovative, collaborative efforts that bring systemwide improvements to the way the needs of adults with mental disabilities or illnesses are addressed.

Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP)

This program supports innovative cross-system collaboration to improve responses to and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who are in the justice system or reentering the community.