The tribal defenders office will collaborate with project partner tribal behavioral health to facilitate a program that will create access to behavioral health care and wrap-around services for…

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded a $550,000 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (CFDA 16.745) project grant to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. The grant will fund a collaborative program between the Tribal Defenders Office and Tribal Behavioral Health to improve access to behavioral healthcare and wraparound services for justice-involved tribal members before, during, and after incarceration. Key objectives include enhancing the Tribal Defenders Office's capacity to handle an additional 200 felony cases per year, providing intensive case management for 70 high-needs individuals, developing best practices for individuals with behavioral health conditions, and promoting court-based strategies like diversion to treatment. The program will also participate in a pilot project to develop a tribal-specific needs-resilience-risk assessment tool. The grant award has a period of performance from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The tribal defenders office will collaborate with project partner tribal behavioral health to facilitate a program that will create access to behavioral health care and wrap-around services for justice-involved tribal members on the confederated salish and kootenai tribes flathead reservation before, during, and after incarceration. Justice and mental health collaboration program (JMHCP) will enhance the tribal defenders office's holistic capacity to accommodate a potential increase of 200 new felony cases per year, provide integrated and intensive case management for 70 high-needs individuals over three years, continue development of case management best practices for individuals with behavioral health conditions, and promote diverse court-based strategies such as diversion to treatment and healing court. The program will participate in a pilot project coordinated by the center for justice innovation to develop a tribal needs-resilience-risk tool for tribal justice systems. The piloted tool is modeled on a risk-assessment interview tool first developed by the tribal defenders office in partnership with psychology interns from the university of montana. JMHCP data collected from the tool will assist and inform tribal defenders offices holistic defense and help develop a tool template for tribal systems. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.