Sandoval county will utilize this funding to plan and program a behavioral health program

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the Congressionally Recommended Awards program (CFDA 16.753), awarded a $200,000 Project Grant to Sandoval County, New Mexico to plan and implement a behavioral health program. The funding will be used to provide education, crisis intervention services, and improve access to behavioral health resources for underserved populations in the county. This initiative aims to decrease the number of individuals with mental health issues from becoming involved in the criminal justice system, reduce recidivism rates, and ease the burden on public safety resources. The project performance period is from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

The need for such a program is based on the findings of many studies, such as one published by stanford university in july 2021, which demonstrates that american prisons house a disproportionate number of mentally ILL inmates, and that more than one-third of all inmates are diagnosed with a mental disorder prior to incarceration. Sandoval county believes that the proposed program will provide significant public safety benefits for its residents. The project, ultimately, will decrease the number of people with mental health illnesses from becoming involved in the criminal justice system in the first place, will decrease recidivism rates, and will ease the burden on very limited public safety resources. This project will focus on education and the provision of behavioral health/crisis intervention services to underserved populations; send medical professionals and educational materials into the community; and provide ways to help patients access behavioral health care resources so that they do not end up in the criminal justice system.