The Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition was presented with an award from the U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for their work as a nationally recognized leader as a Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site to de-stigmatize mental health issues and improve law enforcement’s response to people in crisis.
This Yavapai County collaborative includes partnerships and programs aimed at diverting and deflecting those with mental health and substance abuse issues out of the justice system. These partnerships include ongoing Crisis Intervention Team training for law enforcement hosted by Prescott Police Department and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office; the use of Polara Health’s Crisis Stabilization Unit, a single-point triage center that provides crisis assessments and assistance; the use of Spectrum Healthcare Group’s mobile crisis teams that can be called directly to a scene to help de-escalate a situation when law enforcement encounters an individual in distress; and the Reach Out jail re-entry coordination program that helps in keeping people already in the system from returning.
“In the past, it was easier for law enforcement to arrest a person than to connect them to the help they needed because we didn’t know what else to do” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. “Our crisis response system has allowed law enforcement keep from criminalizing mental health issues, and to make the connections with those that can provide crisis services. If we can address issues by getting people the services they need, we can dramatically reduce the recidivism rate of people who, absent their struggles, may not have entered the justice system in the first place”.
The Coalition was chosen two years ago by the BJA as one of 15 peer learning sites to teach other jurisdictions nationwide how to create crisis response partnerships, especially in rural communities. As a member of the cohort of learning sites, Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition partners have also learned additional tools and ideas to strengthen our partnerships and implement innovative next steps when addressing crisis response situations.
For more information on the Reach Out program, please visit Collaborative Efforts – Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition (justicementalhealth.com)
