The cost of implementing a jail diversion program for people with mental illness in San Antonio, Texas.

Jail diversion programs for people with mental illness are designed to redirect offenders with mental illness into community treatment. Although much has been published about program models and their successes, little detail is available to policy makers and community stakeholders on the resources required to start and implement a jail diversion program and which agencies bear how much of the burden. The current study used data on a model jail diversion program in San Antonio, Texas, to address this research gap.

The impact on taxpayer costs of a jail diversion program for people with serious mental illness.

Mental illness is prevalent among those incarcerated. Jail diversion is one means by which people with mental illness are treated in the community - often with some criminal justice system oversight - instead of being incarcerated. Jail diversion may lead to immediate reductions in taxpayer costs because the person is no longer significantly engaged with the criminal justice system.

Effects of diversion on adults with co-occurring mental illness and substance use: outcomes from a national multi-site study.

This quasi-experimental non-equivalent comparison group study examines outcomes for participants in eight programs conducting criminal justice diversion for people with co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders compared with jail detainees eligible for diversion, but who were processed through standard criminal justice methods without diversion. Nearly 2000 participants were interviewed at baseline, and 1500 at 3 month and 1300 at 12 month follow-up to baseline. In these interviews, outcome measures of re-arrest, mental health functioning, substance abuse, quality of life, and service utilization were obtained.

Adapting a substance abuse court diversion model for felony offenders with co-occurring disorders: initial implementation.

Treatment Alternatives for Dually Diagnosed (TADD) was developed to address the need for criminal justice diversion of seriously mentally ill substance-using felons and persistent misdemeanants. The population served by the TADD program and key elements of the program are described, including identification, screening and assessment, specialized court processing and judicial oversight, case management monitoring, joint case conferencing between community and monitoring staff, enforcement, and key stakeholder collaboration. One hundred and thirteen clients diverted by the TADD program were followed for six months.