MENTAL HEALTH COURT: RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

1. MENTAL HEALTH COURT: RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Mary Cowherd, Office of Court Administration January 9, 2012 – Shared Solutions Summit

2. Grants for Mental Health Courts • Grants for mental health courts are available from the: • U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); and, • Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office (CJD).

3. Grants for Mental Health Courts • Bureau of Justice Assistance The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has two grant programs that provide funds for mental health courts: • Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program; and, • Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.

4. Grants for Mental Health Courts • Justice & MH Collaboration Program http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/JMHCprogram.html ▪ BJA’s Justice & Mental Health Collaboration Program did not issue a solicitation for mental health court grant applications for FY 2012

5. Grants for Mental Health Courts Justice & MH Collaboration Program (cont’d) • The maximum grant amounts and the length of the grant awards available under the FY 2011 solicitation were: • $50,000 for Planning (Project period: 12 months) • $250,000 for Planning and Implementation (Project period: 24 months) • $200,000 for Expansion (Project period: 24 months)

6. Grants for Mental Health Courts Justice & MH Collaboration Program (cont’d) • The Congressional appropriation for funding this program continues to be reduced. • A 20% match is required for this grant and may be satisfied through cash or in-kind services.

7. Grants for Mental Health Courts • Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/jag.html • Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) funds are distributed to local governments and states, respectively. • JAG funds are allocated based on a complex formula that includes population and crime statistics.

8. Grants for Mental Health Courts JAG Program (cont’d) • 40% of the Congressional appropriation for JAG is distributed to eligible cities and counties. Applications for these funds are accepted under BJA’s Local JAG solicitation. • Typically, local jurisdictions have used these funds for law enforcement, not courts. • FY 2012 Local solicitations should be issued in the next few months.

9. Grants for Mental Health Courts JAG Program (cont’d) • JAG grants do not require a match. • Congress continues to reduce the amount of funding for JAG.

10. Grants for Mental Health Courts • Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division (CJD) Specialty Drug Court Program If a court wants to apply for a mental health court grant through CJD, it applies for a Specialty Drug Court Program grant. • Mental health courts fall under the umbrella of the Specialty Drug Court Program.

11. Grants for Mental Health Courts CJD Specialty Drug Court Program (cont’d) • All specialty drug court projects must have a substance abuse connection. • CJD currently gives first funding priority to specialty courts, including mental health courts, in counties with a population of 200,000 or more. • CJD funded only continuation projects during its grant cycle that began September 1, 2011.

12. Grants for Mental Health Courts CJD Specialty Drug Court Program (cont’d) • The FY 2013 solicitation was issued on December 16, 2011, and grant applications are due on February 24, 2012: https://cjdonline.governor.state.tx.us/FileDirectory/DC-Drug%20Courts_RFA_PY2013.docx • CJD may fund specialty drug court projects from the state drug court account, state criminal justice planning fund 421, or federal JAG program administered by CJD.

13. Grants for Mental Health Courts CJD Specialty Drug Court Program (cont’d) • New Specialty Courts Advisory Council to evaluate grant applications and make funding recommendations to CJD. • If federal funds are available, all CJD-funded courts are required to apply for them. • One of the key factors that CJD may look at in the future when reviewing grant applications is sustainability.

14. Grants for Mental Health Courts For further information about the CJD Specialty Drug Court Program, contact: Anissa Vila, JD Drug Court Coordinator for Texas Office of the Governor Criminal Justice Division 512.475.2594 Direct Line anissa.vila@gov.texas.gov

15. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • Many resource materials and technical assistance are available for courts interested in developing and implementing (or expanding) mental health court programs.

16. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • Publications Improving Responses to People with Mental Illness. The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court A Guide to Mental Health Court Design and Implementation A Handbook for Developing a Mental Health Court Docket Behavioral Health Court - Policies and Procedures Manual A Guide to Collecting Mental Health Court Outcome Data Navigating the Mental Health Court Maze: A Guide for Court Practitioners

17. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • Organizations Providing Mental Health Court Information Two organizations, the Consensus Project of the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the National Center for State Courts, provide much information on mental health courts.

18. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • Consensus Project Council of State Governments Justice Center The Consensus Project is a national effort to help local, state and federal policymakers and criminal justice and mental health professionals improve the response to people with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

19. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance The Consensus Project: • Provides technical assistance on planning and implementing a mental health court. • Publishes a newsletter http://consensusproject.org/newsletters • Hosts a forum http://consensusproject.org/forums/1

20. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance Consensus Project (cont’d) • Hosts webinars http://consensusproject.org/technical-assistance/webinars • Has established five mental health court learning sites. http://www.consensusproject.org/learningsites • Is developing and currently piloting a mental health court curriculum. http://learning.justicecenter.csg.org/login/signup.php

21. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance For further information on Consensus Project resource materials and technical assistance, contact: Hallie Fader-Towe Program Director, Courts Consensus Project Council of State Governments Justice Center (212) 482-2320 hfader@csg.org

22. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • National Center for State Courts The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve judicial administration in the U.S. and around the world. • NCSC maintains a web page that provides links to online resources on mental health courts: http://www.ncsc.org/Topics/Problem-Solving-Courts/Mental-Health-Courts/Resource-Guide.aspx

23. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance National Center for State Courts (cont’d) ▪ In particular, I recommend NCSC’s mental health court performance measures materials to you: http://www.ncsc.org/services-and-experts/areas-of-expertise/problem-solving-courts/mental-health-court-performance-measures.aspx

24. Resource Materials and Technical Assistance • Community Resources Posted on Basecamp is a list of the resources available in each of your counties.