Mental Health Diversion Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Boulder County’s Mental Health Diversion Program (MHDP) is a collaborative project of the DA’s Office, Community Justice Services, the Sheriff’s Office and Jail, and multiple other law enforcement and community partners to address the over-involvement of people with mental health needs in the criminal justice system and to reduce the human and financial costs associated with this involvement. When a person is struggling with a mental health crisis, the last place they should be is in a jail cell. MHDP diverts individuals with moderate to severe mental health challenges who are open to receiving support and who are charged with petty, misdemeanor, and some felony offenses out of the criminal justice system and directly into appropriate services or treatment. Past criminal history is not a bar to eligibility. The program uses a risk-need-responsivity model that provides mental health screening and supportive community-based case management focused on voluntary engagement through individualized treatment plans that address the person’s criminogenic, mental health, substance abuse, and basic needs. By diverting eligible individuals out of jail and into services that provide them with the support they need to increase stability and resources, Boulder County’s Mental Health Diversion Program decreases rates of re-offense due to untreated mental health symptoms, reduces the jail population, saves county resources, and mitigates the damaging impact of incarceration on individuals with mental health needs.