NAMI Anchorage

EDUCATION MEETING

JAIL DIVERSION

Decriminalizing Mental Illness

Presenter:  Jim McLaughlin, LPC

Senior Clinician Manager

Southcentral Counseling Center

Continued Care Services

Northstar Behavioral Systems, 2530 DeBarr Rd.

Date:  Tuesday. October 28^th * Time: 7:00 p.m.

PUBLIC Invited

This is a combined effort of Department of Behavioral Health, Department of Corrections, the Anchorage Police Department, the Municpal Prosecutors Office, Southcentral Counseling Center, the Anchorage Mental Health Court, the Mental Health Trust and UAA's Behavioral Health Research Services (formerly ASCES) to create a "post-booking" jail diversion program for adults with a serious mental illness who are arrested for non-violent offenses.

Anchorage was one of only 17 sites in the country selected for this. There is a research/evaluation component to the projects, the results of which will have significant influence over future congressional funding for these types of efforts to decriminalize the mentally ill.

Southcentral Counseling Center will provide services with 3 clinical staff who will be at the Anchorage Jail each weekday morning to screen individuals for the project. The screening will be done after the individual has been booked into jail but before they appear in front of a judge. SCC's Clinician will make recommendations to the Municipal Prosecutor who has the final decison regarding whether to divert the individual. If both agree on the diversion, the Prosecutor will essentially drop the charges with the agreement from the indivdual that they will follow up with mental health treatment. There will be the potential to re-activate the charge if the person does not follow through with treatment. Once the diversion decision is made, the individual would leave the jail with the Southcentral staff and get immediate assistance with mental health treatment, housing, food, clothing, or other needs.