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58 The pilot program targets people with a serious mental illness, schizophrenia, bipolar, major depression, and PTSD, who have been booked at least three times in two years at the Harris County jail. 57 The goals of the program include reducing the frequency of arrests, number of days spent in jail, increasing access to different services, improving quality of life and reducing criminogenic risk. To help this problem, the 83rd Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1185, creating a jail diversion pilot program in Harris County. 56 Incarcerating people with mental illnesses has high costs that waste taxpayer dollars and ultimately fail to effectively meet the needs of individuals with mental illness. 55 Every contact with the criminal justice system comes at a high cost, and many people with a mental illness re-offend and end up cycling through the jail system again and again. 54 The annual cost for an inmate with mental illness in Harris County from 2004-2008 was $7,017, compared to other inmates at $2,599. 53 Because it holds a large population of people with mental illness, the Harris County jail is often referred to as the biggest psychiatric facility in Texas. Harris County operates the largest county jail in Texas with approximately 9,000 inmates, with people with mental illness representing 25 percent of all inmates. Harris County has been working hard to improve pretrial diversion efforts for people with mental illness. This section will discuss what Texas is doing right and some areas that need improvement. But Texas counties are working to make meaningful changes that will link people with mental illness to treatment, use taxpayer dollars more efficiently, and ultimately improve public safety. 52 Lacking cross system coordination and limited resources are significant barriers to improving the present use of pretrial diversion for people with mental illness who are cycling through the criminal justice system. 51 The state should maximize opportunities for pretrial release and link people who are eligible for pretrial release to comprehensive evidence-based services that are proven to help reduce recidivism. 50 At this stage, arrestees should be screened for mental illness at the earliest opportunity to determine whether they are eligible for diversion. 49 The next intercept is after arrest but before trial. 48 And services should be monitored and evaluated for quality improvement. 47 Those who are diverted at this intercept should be linked to follow-up services. 46 Communities can establish a police-friendly drop-off center, crisis unit, or triage center to stabilize emergencies or crises. 45 Police contacts with people with mental illness should be documented. Police can be trained to respond to calls where mental illness is a factor.

44 At this intercept various service-level changes can be made to improve public safety long term. 43 This contact is the first sequential intercept for developing a criminal justice-mental health partnership. 42 People first come into contact with the criminal justice system in the community through 911 or local law enforcement. Pretrial diversion can occur at two points of interception: at first contact with law enforcement and during initial detention or initial court hearings. The CMHS National GAINS Center describes the many points in which people with mental illness can be intercepted and diverted from incarceration to mental health treatment. Pretrial Diversion Programs and Practices in Texas

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Part 1 ran in our March issue we will continue the series in May. Pretrial Diversion Across the Country and the Next Steps for Texas to Improve its Efforts and Increase UtilizationĮditor’s Note: The following is Part 2 in a series, “Overincarceration of People with Mental Illness,” a report released in June 2015.

Sequential intercept model bexar