Connecting Low Risk Offenders to Peer Support and Services

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Maricopa County Correctional Health Services partnered with Southwest Behavioral Health Services to create and implement the Criminal Justice Engagement Team (CJET) program in 2016. This early-intervention program at the Maricopa County Jails targets low-risk, Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI), newly-incarcerated individuals. The goal of the CJET program is to facilitate early release from jail, thereby reducing the length of stay and the associated harmful effects of incarceration. The CJET program utilizes community agency staff with lived experience to identify and recruit eligible participants at intake. CJET staff members collaborate with consenting participants to develop a safe and effective community release plan for Judicial Officers to consider. If the Judicial Officer approves the community release plan, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) releases the participant directly to CJET staff within the first 24 hours following the initial court appearance. CJET staff provides ongoing navigation services to link participants with community behavioral health services and transportation to ensure their appearance at court proceedings. In the past two calendar years, 71% of consenting participants followed through with their community release plans by accepting peer support services from the CJET program post-release from custody.