Community-based organizations

In this orientation webinar, CSG Justice Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) staff will provide newly awarded Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) and Connect & Protect grantees with an overview of BJA, the CSG Justice Center, the program budget, the JustGrants management system, and the performance measurement tool (PMT). Speakers included: Tammy Lovill, State Policy Advisor, JMHCP, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.

In this webinar, CSG Justice Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) staff provided newly awarded grantees with an overview of BJA, the CSG Justice Center, behavioral health diversion and reentry strategies, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), Connect & Protect (C & P), and training and technical (TTA) assistance. Staff also gave critical context about people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system.

In this webinar, participants received a brief overview of the Sequential Intercept Model, followed by a presentation on ADA requirements by the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. Attendees then heard from current JMHCP grantees who have successfully increased access to behavioral health services across the justice system intercepts.

Building a robust crisis system of care requires collaboration between multiple systems and stakeholders. Community-based organizations can enhance existing crisis systems by providing services, support, and lived experience to people in crisis. As the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is uniquely positioned to share the value of community-based organizations to support a coordinated community crisis response.

Law enforcement often respond to youth experiencing behavioral health crises as first responders to provide connections to emergency care. Unfortunately, law enforcement-only responses to youth in crisis can result in higher risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system and traumatization. Though trainings for law enforcement agencies on behavioral health crisis responses and trauma-informed care are increasing, many of them are not properly trained or do not have the resources available to effectively respond to the needs of youth in crisis.