Sacramento county adult drug court-substance treatment enrichment program (STEP) - the sacramento county division of behavioral health services (BHS) has identified a significant shortage of…

Sacramento county adult drug court-substance treatment enrichment program (STEP) - the sacramento county division of behavioral health services (BHS) has identified a significant shortage of services and support for adults involved in the criminal justice system who have been diagnosed with substance use disorder and are at risk of reoffending. The substance use prevention and treatment services (SUPT) in partnership with justice collaborators has taken the initiative to address this issue. They are seeking a grant of $2 million over five years to expand the capacity of their treatment and supportive services. This expansion includes recovery housing, family engagement, and case management services to increase participant engagement. With the additional treatment services and support, the program will be able to serve over 200 justice-involved participants during the five-year grant period. According to national, state, and local data, many individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI) are involved in the criminal justice system. This pressing issue impacts criminal justice and mental health systems and communities at all levels. A 2014 boston reentry study found inmates with SMI and/or CO-occurring SUD issues were significantly less likely than other inmates to find stable housing, employment, education, financial stability, and significant support critical for community reentry (western, ET AL, 2015). Even with available treatment services, many individuals fail to use them because they fear being institutionalized, deny their condition, or distrust the mental health system. As a result, many of these individuals are at high risk of cycling in and out of the justice system, frequently for minor offenses. This type of recidivism impacts individuals' well­being, compromises public safety, and significantly increases taxpayer costs. Optimally, they would have an array of services and support that includes mental health and SUD treatment, medication support, case management, peer support, education, vocational services, benefits acquisition, and housing. Sacramento county has proposed a plan that aims to address the GAP in mental health and CO-occurring services in our local justice system. This will be achieved by expanding and enhancing the existing CO-occurring collaborative courts (COCC). The plan involves increasing the utilization of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, housing support, case management services, and family engagement. Additionally, the COCC design will be refined by improving processes that support participants' access to community-based treatment. This will foster engagement and increase the chances of successful completion and community reentry.