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Jail diversion for persons with serious mental illness coordinated by a prosecutor’s office

Source: BioMed Research International

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 authors discuss a jail diversion program led by a prosecutor’s office which diverts individuals to mental health services, case management, community-based services and housing. They follow several individuals over the course of 5 years to assess outcomes based on program completion. The results conclude that jail diversion programs led by the prosecutor’s office in coordination with community providers has led to a decrease in the number of days spent in jail as well as the recidivism rates. However, there are different outcomes for individuals who do not complete the program. A unique finding that remains to be explored is that during year 5 even for those who completed the program there is an increase in arrests.