Justice Department Announces $29 Million To Support Justice And Mental Health Programs

The Department of Justice today announced awards totaling more than $29 million to support adult and juvenile justice initiatives designed to reduce crime and recidivism associated with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

“More and more people with mental illness are coming into contact with the criminal justice system, straining law enforcement resources and placing exceptional demands on our jails and prisons,” said Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “By supporting partnerships between justice system professionals and treatment providers, we are making substantial investments in addressing the link between mental health and public safety.”

Through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is providing $18.6 million to support innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who come into contact with the justice system. The program funds collaborative projects between criminal justice and mental health partners to plan, implement or expand a justice and mental health program.

Through BJA’s Collaborative Mental Health and Anti-Recidivism Initiative, nearly $900,000 is being provided to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to establish a statewide pilot program that partners with the appropriate agencies within the state. The initiative will establish a collaborative prison anti-recidivism effort to provide comprehensive care before, during, and after incarceration for persons with serious mental illness, with a goal of reducing recidivism.

Through BJA’s Improving Justice and Mental Health Collaboration – Training and Technical Assistance to Grantees and the Field Program, $4.6 million is being awarded to the Council of State Governments in Lexington, Kentucky, to provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies and their partner mental health and substance abuse authorities to reduce crime and recidivism associated with people with mental illnesses.

OJP’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is providing nearly $5 million through the Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program to improve outcomes for youth with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. The funding may be used for mental health courts, specialized training and collaborative efforts between juvenile justice and mental health agencies to promote public safety by offering mental health treatment services and substance abuse treatment services.

For a complete list of grant programs, amounts awarded, and recipients, click here.

Additional information about these awards and other FY 2020 grant awards made by the Office of Justice Programs can be found online at the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

Official news published at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-29-million-support-justice-and-mental-health-programs

The post Justice Department Announces $29 Million To Support Justice And Mental Health Programs first appeared on NORLY NEWS.

originally published at Law - NORLY NEWS