Through a culture of collaboration, Johnson County, Kan., has developed numerous systems and processes to help collect, share and use data on individuals who come into contact with their county’s justice and human services systems, including those with behavioral health needs. The county uses these systems and processes to inform policy and funding priorities to better identify individuals with mental health treatment needs and connect them to services. 

In collaboration with the Stepping Up initiative, the Data-Driven Justice initiative and the One Mind Campaign, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) convened a Best Practices Implementation Academy to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders in the Criminal Justice System (the Academy) in June 2017 in Washington, D.C. SAMHSA contracted with Policy Research Associates (PRA), which operates SAMHSA’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, to facilitate the Academy. This case study is part of a series highlighting the six counties that constituted the “Best Practices” teams representing the Data-Driven Justice initiative and the Stepping Up initiative at the Academy.