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Colorado Department of Human Services

Offender Mental Health Services Initiative (SB-97)

 

SB 07-097 (commonly referred to as Senate Bill 97) was developed in response to Colorado’s significant growth in the demand for community-based mental health services for individuals with mental illness involved in local and State criminal justice systems. Through new funds authorized by the Colorado General Assembly (HB 07-1359 -which is a complimentary bill to SB 07-097), the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health funds 11 mental health service programs by Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) for juvenile and adult offenders with mental health problems who are involved in the criminal justice system. 

 
Program Description

 

The SB-97 program initiative is intended to develop community-based services for juveniles and adults with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system in collaboration with identified community agencies (i.e., local and State criminal justice agencies) and associated resources. Local projects are expected to set goals concerning the number and types of juvenile with serious emotional disorders (SED) and/or adults with serious mental illness (SMI) to be served. The program requires that CMHC’s devote project resources to collecting necessary data to evaluate program effectiveness.


Services to be provided are intended to be the least restrictive and to address the following needs:
 

  • Increase community capacity to serve juveniles with SED and adults with SMI
  • Provide outcome and recovery oriented services that increase the target population’s abilities to function independently in the community.
  • Promote communities to work collaboratively across mental health and criminal justice systems
  • Reduce jail and prison recidivism
  • Provide for long term, local sustainability
  • Provide cost effective services
 

Program Services

 

  • Assertive Community Treatment
  • Aggression Replacement Training
  • Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment
  • Intensive Case Management
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Functional Family Therapy
  • Medication Management
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • Multi-Systemic Therapy
  • Wraparound Services
  • Supportive Housing
  • Trauma Recovery and Empowerment
  • Supportive Employment Services
  • Individual Psychotherapy
  • Case Management
  • Crisis Intervention Training
 

Program Outcomes

 

  • Increase community capacity to serve juveniles with SED and adults with SMI.
  • Provide outcome and recoveryoriented services that increase the ability to function independently in the community.
  • Promote communities to work collaboratively across mental health and criminal justice systems
  • Reduce jail and prison recidivism
  • Provide for long term, local sustainability
  • Provide cost effective services
  • Increase the capacity of clinicians to work more effectively with offender populations

 

 
Programs Funded
 

For Further Information Contact:


Jagruti Shah, M.A., LPC, CAC III
Manager, Offender Mental Health Programs
Colorado Office of Behavioral Health
3824 West Princeton Circle
Denver, CO 80236-3111
(303) 866-7504
jagruti.shah@state.co.us

   

 

Related Resouces/Links:

 

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