On November 29, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022 (S.3846/H.R. 8166), by a vote of 389 to 22. The bill was passed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate in June 2022. Ahead of the bill’s passage, NACo expressed support for the bill and urged lawmakers to swiftly pass this critical legislation.

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act will reauthorize the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Other important provisions of relevance to counties include:

• Strengthening support for mental health courts and crisis intervention teams
• Supporting diversion programming and training for state and local prosecutors
• Strengthening support for co-responder teams
• Supporting the integration of 988 into the existing public safety system
• Amending allowable uses for grant funds to include suicide prevention in jails and information-sharing between mental health systems and jails/prisons
• Amending allowable uses to include case management services and supports
• Clarifying that crisis intervention teams can be placed in 911 call centers

The JHMCP is a critical program that provides federal funding to assist counties in improving outcomes for individuals with mental health conditions who are involved in the criminal justice system. An estimated two million individuals with serious mental health conditions are booked into county jails each year. With JMHCP funds, counties can create or expand community-based treatment programs, fund jail diversion programs and mental health courts, and provide in-jail treatment and transitional services to help these individuals.