Spotlight Announcement

9/20/2005: National Conference on Court-Based Mental Health Initiatives Held in Los Angeles

Approximately 400 criminal justice and mental health professionals from across the country met on June 21-22, in Los Angeles for the conference, Mental Health Courts and Beyond: Improving the Response to People with Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System. The conference was coordinated by the Council of State Governments' Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project, in its capacity as technical assistance provider for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Mental Health Courts Program (MHCP). Hosted by BJA, the conference was co-sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the National Institute of Corrections. The National GAINS Center also played a key role in helping to plan the conference and coordinate conference sessions.

Click here to read more about the conference from the Criminal Justice/ Mental Health Consensus Project.

Among other sessions relevant to reentry, the conference included a presentation entitled "What Court-Based Programs Need to Know About Jail Reentry." Erik Roskes, Director of Forensic Treatment and Behavior Management Programs for the Springfield Hospital Center in Maryland, gave the presentation, which also featured a case study of the Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) Mental Health Court.

Click here for a synopsis of this presentation. Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation for this session.

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