Crisis and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) TA Center

Home / Resources / A potential new form of jail diversion and reconnection to mental health services: II. Demonstration of feasibility

< Back to search results

A potential new form of jail diversion and reconnection to mental health services: II. Demonstration of feasibility

Source: Behavioral Science & the Law

Resource Type: Documents and Publications

Focus Population: People in Recovery from Substance Use, People with Criminal Justice System Involvement, People with Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

Topics: Criminal or Juvenile Justice System, Recovery from Mental Health or Substance Use Disorders, Suicide Prevention

The study tested the feasibility of implementing a new pre-booking diversion program, called the “linkage” system which can support in reducing incarceration. The “linkage” system consists of 3 steps where individuals will give consent to be enrolled in a statewide database so that when officers run background checks they get notified about the mental health condition of the person they stopped, which will allow the officer to contact a specialist that can aid with diversion opportunities. Although a successful study, the authors are unclear whether results are generalizable considering the region and their population focus which excluded many mental health conditions.