National strategy recommendations

Address MH/SUD in the criminal legal system

Parity, Coverage, & Equitable Access
Topics
Services for Incarcerated Individuals
social determinants of health
No items found.
Population
Legal System-Involved Individuals
Coverage & Standards
No items found.
Federal department
Health and Human Services
Labor
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Justice
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
house committees
No items found.
senate committees
No items found.

Recommendation

The White House should launch an interagency council or permanent working group to address behavioral health issues in the criminal legal system. Several issues to address include different funding streams, confusion around jurisdiction on Capitol Hill, and federal legislation and programs that do or could address these issues. Group members should consist of, but are not limited to, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Labor (DOL).[1]

Background/summary

Individuals with mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD) are overrepresented in the criminal legal system.[2] Often unable to access the care and treatment they need, these individuals tend to stay incarcerated longer.[3] To address gaps in MH/SUD resources, federal, state, and local groups have taken action. However, this has led to a patchwork response. Congress recognized this fragmentation and has called upon the federal government to coordinate its efforts. This could be accomplished with an interagency council or permanent working group.[1] The Federal Interagency Reentry Council, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness,[1] and the SAMHSA Interagency Task Force on Military and Veterans Mental Health, which bring together federal agencies previously working separately, could serve as models to address behavioral health in the criminal legal system.[1][4][5]

citations

1. National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Consensus Workgroup PolicyRecommendations to the 116th Congress and Trump Administration on Behavioral Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System: Next Steps. Last Accessed 2019.

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. About Criminal and Juvenile Justice. Last Accessed March 2, 2022.

3. Ibid.

4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Interagency Task Force on Military and Veterans Mental Health. Last Accessed April 26, 2022.

5. U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Interagency Reentry Council. Last Accessed April 19, 2017.

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