Section 2

Breaking the Cycles of Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, and Crime

Overview

Research shows that there are higher rates of substance abuse and mental illness among inmates and offenders than among the general population. The best data suggest that the relationship between drugs and crime is complex, mediated by the type of substance and its psychoactive effects, as well as personality factors, situational factors, and socio-cultural factors.

OJP, through a number of its bureaus, supports numerous programs and services to assist communities in planning, implementing, and enhancing criminal justice, substance abuse, and mental health partnerships, including specialized police responses, crisis response centers, problem solving courts, treatment within correctional facilities, and reentry services. Key components of these efforts include screening, assessment, testing, accountability, and follow-up.

In addition to investigating and deterring drug production, trafficking, and drug-related violence, OJP is interested in reducing criminal behavior through cost-efficient interventions designed to reduce alcohol and drug use among offenders. Program activities assist target population identification and support relapse and recidivism prevention. OJP also supports prescription drug monitoring programs that help detect and prevent the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances, particularly at the retail level, where no other automated information collection system exists. In addition, OJP surveys provide information about the prevalence of offenders with mental health disorders.

Discretionary Programs

Program Name Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program
FY 2012 Funding $24,675,453
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program will provide financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, local courts, and units of state, local, and tribal governments to implement and enhance drug treatment courts that effectively integrate substance abuse treatment, mandatory drug testing, sanctions and incentives, and transitional services in a judicially supervised court setting with jurisdiction over nonviolent, substance abusing offenders. Programs funded by Drug Court discretionary grants are required by law to target nonviolent offenders and must implement a drug court based on 10 key components. This program supports adult drug court implementation and enhancement and statewide drug court enhancement and coordination.

Program Name Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
FY 2012 Funding $5,071,891
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Danica Szarvas-Kidd, (202) 305-7418, Danica.Szarvas-Kidd@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program enhances the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data. The program supports states in establishing a prescription drug monitoring program. Resources are also available to states that want to expand their existing programs. Program objectives include the following:

• building a data collection and analysis system at the state level;
• enhancing existing programs’ ability to analyze and use collected data;
• facilitating the exchange of collected prescription data among states; and
• assessing the efficiency and effectiveness of the programs funded under this initiative.

Program Name Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP)
FY 2012 Funding $6,668,574
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Danica Szarvas-Kidd, (202) 305-7418, Danica.Szarvas-Kidd@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program increases public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, mental health treatment, and substance abuse systems to increase access to treatment for this unique group of offenders. The program

• increases public safety through early intervention for people with mental illness or a co-occurring disorder within the criminal or juvenile justice system;
• provides courts, including existing and new mental health courts, with appropriate mental health and substance abuse treatment options;
• maximizes the use of diversion from prosecution, alternative sentences through community supervision, and graduated sanctions, as appropriate, in cases involving nonviolent offenders with mental illness;
• promotes adequate training for criminal justice system personnel regarding mental illness and substance abuse disorders and the appropriate responses to people with such illnesses, including those with developmental and learning disabilities; and
• promotes adequate training for mental health and substance abuse treatment personnel regarding criminal offenders with mental illness or co-occurring substance abuse disorders and the appropriate response to such offenders in the criminal justice system.

*In FY 2011, BJA received 279 applications for funding under the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), only 40 of which were awarded due to limited funding. In FY 2012, JMHCP faces further reductions to its appropriation. The peer review process in FY 2011 yielded a high number of qualified and competitive applications, many of which remain unfunded. The peer review process, while serving a valuable function in helping BJA staff make funding decisions, is also costly and is funded with JMHCP program funds. By relying on the peer review results of FY 2011 and forgoing a new competitive application process including peer review in FY 2012, BJA is able to maximize the number of awards made to the field. Therefore, BJA will not be issuing a FY 2012 JMHCP solicitation and instead will recommend FY 2012 JMHCP awards from the long list of unfunded, qualified, and highly competitive FY 2011 applications.

Training and Technical Assistance

Program Name Adult Drug Court Training Initiative
FY 2012 Funding $1,250,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
Through the Adult Drug Court Training Initiative, BJA provides culturally competent, interactive, drug court training services based on adult learning theory; develops and revises curricula for drug court practitioners; adjusts training delivery style based on the target audience size; develops and manages online training courses; and develops uniform protocols for evaluating and reporting on training services provided.

The BJA-approved drug court curricula accessible through this training initiative are Comprehensive Drug Court Judicial Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Coordinator Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Prosecutor Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Defense Attorney Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Treatment Provider Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Community Supervision Training; Comprehensive Drug Court Case Management Training; The Promise of Drug Court; Drug Court for Defense Counsel: A Paradigm Shift; Targeting and Eligibility; Psychopharmacology Treatment: What Works; Team Building; Confidentiality; Motivational Interviewing; Operational Tune-up Training; Incentives and Sanctions; Ensuring the Sustainability of Drug Court Programs; Supervising Methamphetamine Addicts in Drug Court; and Cultural Proficiency for Drug Court Practitioners.

Program Name Adult Drug Court Technical Assistance Program
FY 2012 Funding $1,200,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The goal of this initiative is to assist operational adult drug treatment court programs in the development and implementation of improved program practices leading to greater program effectiveness and increased long-term participant success. The technical assistance provider serves both the BJA-funded adult implementation and enhancement drug court grantees, as well as other adult drug courts in the field.

Program Name Statewide Adult Drug Court Technical Assistance Program
FY 2012 Funding $250,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program provides direct aid and information to state agencies to enhance the leadership of the drug court effort in their states, improve coordination and collaboration among the drug court agencies, and increase the likelihood for the institutionalization of drug courts in mainstream court operations. The Statewide Adult Drug Court Technical Assistance provider serves those states that have received BJA Statewide Adult Drug Court Enhancement grants, as well as other states through the statewide drug/problem solving court coordinators.

Program Name Adult Drug Court Planning Initiative (DCPI)
FY 2012 Funding $1,600,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
DCPI consists of a standardized core curriculum based on adult learning theory and the 10 key components to support the implementation of adult drug courts. Each 5-day training event will host planning teams comprising a judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, treatment provider, coordinator, probation officer, law enforcement official, and evaluator.

DCPI also will engage mentor drug courts in the planning initiative. BJA and the training provider will jointly nominate and select exceptional drug courts to serve as mentors to new and operational courts. DCPI trainings may be hosted in or around the mentor courts so that newly forming teams can benefit from fully functioning, outcome oriented, drug court programs. BJA also has partnered with the Veterans Administration (VA) to develop a Veterans Court Planning Initiative to train existing drug court teams on how to capitalize on the substance abuse and mental health treatment, physical health services, housing subsidies, and skills training available through the VA. Additionally, tribal healing to wellness court teams will be trained on tribal drug court implementation.

Program Name National Drug Court Resource Center
FY 2012 Funding $400,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 616-7385, Timothy.Jeffries@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The National Drug Court Resource Center collects, maintains, and disseminates information about drug court operations, best practices, trends, and history. Through the center, BJA compiles and continually updates information on national drug court activities and emerging issues, maintains an extensive reference collection of drug court materials, and serves the drug court field by providing comprehensive, timely responses to all relevant requests for drug court information.

Program Name Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Training and Technical Assistance Program
FY 2012 Funding $600,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx and http://consensusproject.org/issue_areas/justice-and-mental-health-collaboration-program
Program Contact Danica Szarvas-Kidd, (202) 305-7418, Danica.Szarvas-Kidd@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The training and technical assistance (TTA) partner will provide technical assistance to BJA’s Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees that are planning, implementing, or expanding collaborative programs that improve responses to people with mental illnesses involved with the criminal justice system. TTA includes providing proactive, comprehensive, user-friendly TTA services; developing uniform protocols for the assessment and delivery of TTA, as well as tracking, evaluation, and follow-up; using TTA strategies that include developing tools and resources for grantees, such as distance learning, peer-to-peer consultations, onsite technical assistance, and ongoing technical assistance by phone and e-mail; and planning and hosting grantee meetings.

Program Name Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) State-Based Capacity Building Program (CBP)
FY 2012 Funding $525,000
OJP Sponsor BJA
Web Link www.bja.gov/funding.aspx
Program Contact Danica Szarvas-Kidd, (202) 305-7418, Danica.Szarvas-Kidd@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The primary goal of this program is to provide comprehensive resources and services to eligible but unfunded JMHCP grant applicants. The Council of State Governments Justice Center will serve as the primary source of information on justice and mental health collaboration programs and will implement strategies that include developing tools and resources such as distance learning; peer-to-peer consultations; and onsite, phone, and e-mail assistance to customers. In addition, the Justice Center will plan for a national conference that will focus on criminal justice and mental health collaborations.