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Coordinating Community Services for Mentally Ill Offenders: Maryland's Community Criminal Justice Treatment Program

NCJ Number
177397
Journal
American Jails Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: March-April 1999 Pages: 9-12-114
Author(s)
C Conly
Date Published
1999
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Local policy-makers in Maryland have worked with officials in Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and other State officials to establish the Maryland Community Criminal Justice Treatment Program (MCCJTP), a multiagency collaborative that provides shelter and treatment services to mentally ill offenders in their communities.
Abstract
The program was created to serve mentally ill persons who were jailed. It now includes individuals on probation and parole. The program operates in 18 of the State's 24 jurisdictions. It features local advisory boards to provide ongoing leadership; case management services that include crisis intervention, screening, counseling, discharge planning, and community follow-up; services for mentally ill offenders who are homeless or have co-occurring drug abuse disorders; routine training for criminal justice and treatment professionals; and postbooking diversion for qualifying mentally ill defendants. The MCCJTP model is notable among its peers across the country for its strong collaboration between State and local providers, its commitment to offering transitional case management services, its provision of long-term housing support, and its focus on co-occurring drug disorders. Photographs, case example, list of sources of further information, and reference notes