Henrico area mental health and developmental services (the mental health partner) is collaborating with henrico general district court, henrico commonwealth attorney's office, henrico county community…

This Project Grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Criminal and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (CFDA 16.745) provides $549,718.00 to the County of Henrico, Virginia to enhance and expand the newly formed Behavioral Health Docket. The Behavioral Health Docket aims to improve public safety, expedite court processes, enhance quality of life, reduce recidivism, increase offender accountability, and lower jail census for individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness. The funding will support staffing, evidence-based assessment tools, and treatment services to address the gap in existing mental health diversion programming for non-incarcerated individuals in Henrico County. This collaborative initiative involves partnerships between the mental health agency, court system, prosecution, corrections, law enforcement, and public defense.

Henrico area mental health and developmental services (the mental health partner) is collaborating with henrico general district court, henrico commonwealth attorney's office, henrico county community corrections program, henrico county police division and henrico county defense council to enhance and expand the newly formed (april 2024) behavioral health docket, which is currently a pilot operating on an in-kind basis. The purpose of the behavioral health docket is to enhance public safety, expedite court hearing processes for program participants, improve and enhance the quality of life of program participants, to reduce recidivism, increase accountability of offenders, and reduce jail census. The behavioral health docket will reduce gaps in henrico county's diversion efforts. Currently only incarcerated individuals are eligible for existing mental health diversion programming. Judges, defense attorneys and the commonwealth attorney's office have all identified a service GAP for individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness who are bonded, and frequently recidivate due to not having proper community supervision and the enhanced coordination of care and treatment the behavioral health docket can provide. Henrico's behavioral health docket expansion and enhancement will focus on staffing, and the utilization of evidenced based assessment tools and treatments. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.