As funding has decreased for mental health services, jails have filled up.
The mission of our Criminal Justice Services team is to increase access to appropriate mental health and substance abuse services. We are working with the criminal justice system to help reduce recidivism and reverse the trend of incarcerating the mentally ill. We work in partnership with law enforcement, the district attorney's office, probation officers, pre-trial services and diversion programs, the jails and the public defenders' offices, as well as county commissioners and funders to achieve this goal.
Our case management team provides crisis intervention and services after a police encounter.
The Network's Criiminal Justice Services team provides a model, multi-systemic and integrated interventions for consumers, This is the only team in the state that directly provides these services; in other communities, it is solely the C.I.T. police officer that does the follow-up. We provide or facilitate:
- mental health and psychiatric care
- referrals to community services
- information and education
- training
- resources
- case management services
- emergency intervention
- family support
- housing
- medications
- shelter
- clothing
- food
- social and vocational rehabilitation programs provide:
Case management
The case management team accomplishes this by providing crisis intervention services once they have been referred by a C.I.T. officer, a specially trained police office who has been trained to recognize and diffuse problems that stem from emotional and mental issues. Once the referral is received by our office, we contact the individual. The case management team offers confidential assistance to help the person get back on their feet. We help the individual navigate the mental health, substance abuse, legal, funding and other systems, providing linkage to needed services. This coordinated approach -- an evidence-based practice -- is a model program. We make this available to keep people out of jail, help them rebuild their lives, and keep the community safe.
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Such integrated case management intervention--working collaboratively with mental health, substance abuse, criminal justice and other community servicses--is called an "evidence-based practice" because we have proof that it works. People get better; we spend less by not incarcerating inappropriately placed individuals, and we keep our community safer.
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Revolving-door recidivism. We break the cycle.
Since the early 1980's, Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network has been a leader in providing "dual-diagnosis" treatment for both mental illness and substance abuse. Our success is measured by our ability to keep the consumer in the community as a productive, law-abiding family and community member. By breaking the cycle of mental illness, substance abuse and incarceration, we help to reduce jail days, keep the community safer, and ultimately save taxpaper dollars.
Re-entry services saves lives and money.
Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network provides transitional services for incarcerated adolescent and adult consumers with mental illness who are returning to the community from psychiatric hospitals; county and city jails; Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC);community corrections (on probation or parole); and holds including 27/10 step-down, not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity (NGRI) and incompetent-to-proceed.
Mental Health Court
The purpose of the Mental Health Court is to utilize a problem-solving process to develop community-based alternatives to incarceration for individuals with a major mental illness who are charged with offenses in the 18th Judicial District. While some mental health courts work with offenders charged with misdeanors and municipal offenses, this will be the first court in the state to work with felony offenders. Learn more.