Substance abuse has had a large impact on local justice systems, including population growth, policy change and increased spending on behavioral health treatment in correctional settings. Substance abuse, as a health crisis, has transformed the way that justice system actors respond to behavioral health and public safety issues and led county leaders to pursue strategies that better connect health, human services and justice agencies to triage response and share resources.

The Data-Driven Justice initiative represents a growing network of counties that are reducing incarceration by developing strategies to identify frequent users of jails, hospitals, homeless shelters and other crisis and emergency services and divert them to effective, community-based treatment and care.