The eastern shore youth justice mental health collaboration project is a cross-collaboration initiative between the maryland office of the public defender (OPD) and shedrick family wellness (shedrick)

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded a $648,030 Project Grant under the Criminal and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (CFDA 16.745) to the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and Shedrick Family Wellness. The funding will support the Eastern Shore Youth Justice Mental Health Collaboration Project, a cross-system initiative to improve health outcomes and reduce recidivism for justice-involved youth with mental health and substance use disorders in a region with high recidivism rates. Through this collaboration, OPD will provide legal representation while Shedrick, a community-trusted behavioral health agency, will deliver mental health and co-occurring services. The goal is to strengthen family support, promote public safety, and decrease recidivism over the 3-year project period from October 2024 to September 2027.

OPD is a juvenile justice state agency responsible for the defense of youth in juvenile and criminal proceedings. Shedrick is a community-trusted behavioral health agency that provides mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults, including CO-occurring mental health and substance use services. By employing both the legal representation and mental health services frameworks, OPD and shedrick aim to improve health outcomes for justice-involved youth with mental health disorders and mental health and substance use disorders, strengthen family support and relationships between the child and parent/guardian, and promote public safety by reducing recidivism in a region with one of the highest recidivism rates in the state.