CFAs: Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (US)

Deadline: 3-Apr-25

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is inviting applications for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program to fund programs that support collaborations to improve public safety responses and outcomes for people with mental health disorders (MHDs) or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUDs).

The goal is to improve safety and well-being for adults with MHDs (including people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) or MHSUDs who come into contact with the criminal justice system. BJA supports grants to help eligible entities plan, implement, or expand comprehensive collaboration programs to target people who qualify.

Purpose

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) funds programs that support cross-system collaboration between the justice system and mental health services to support people with behavioral health conditions, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, PTSD, and/or TBIs who interact with the criminal justice system. These programs aim to reduce involvement with the criminal justice system and assist those reentering the community.
For the purposes of this NOFO, people with MHDs, co-occurring MHSUDs, PTSD, as well as people with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and/or TBIs will be collectively referred to as people with behavioral health disorders. This terminology is intended to ensure that the integration of co-occurring needs is adequately addressed.

Objectives

Common Objectives of All Categories:
- Increase the community’s workforce capacity (i.e. certified mental health peer recovery specialists and behavioral health clinicians) along with wraparound services to support people with behavioral health disorders.
- Improve the capacity to identify and support people with behavioral health needs in the justice system.
- Enhance collaboration between justice and mental health programs focusing on pretrial, prosecution/defense, courts, corrections, probation and parole.
- Increase capacity building for criminal justice professionals to identify and provide support to people with behavioral health disorders (including people with TBI and PTSD).
Category 1 and Category 2: Local, Tribal, and County Governments
- Programs to Prevent Further Justice System Involvement
- Case Management and Specialized Supervision
- Workforce Development and Training
- Data Tracking and Continuous Improvement
- Community Engagement and Trust Building
- Involvement of Behavioral Health Experts
- Addressing the Needs of Correctional Facilities
Category 3: State Governments
- Improve access to treatment using frameworks and toolkits for effective funding strategies developed under BJA’s Aligning Health and Safety Initiative and training and technical assistance (TTA), specifically designed to address effective and efficient public and private financing (e.g. Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, increasing use of Medicaid, and private billing for providers) when caring for people with behavioral health disorders.
- Support state-level policies to enhance local engagement and access to care.
- Establish multidisciplinary task forces for systemic change in court responses.
- Promote cross-system data collection for better service collaboration.
- Enhance competency evaluation and restoration processes for individuals in the justice system.

Priority Areas

The programmatic priority areas for consideration are:
- Promote effective strategies for identification and treatment of females with behavioral health disorders who are involved with the criminal justice system.
- Promote effective strategies to expand the use of mental health courts and related services.
- Propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism.
- When appropriate, use validated assessment tools to identify and prioritize individuals with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a need for treatment services.
- Demonstrate and ensure that funds are used for public health and public safety.
- Demonstrate active participation of co-applicants in administering the program.
- Document, in whole or in part, that funds used for treatment of incarcerated populations will provide transition and reentry services for such individuals.

Funding Information

Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under This Funding Opportunity: $15,950,000
- Category 1: Local County Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration
  - Anticipated Number of Awards: 18
  - Anticipated Award Ceiling: Up to $550,000
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Start Date: October 1, 2025
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Duration: 36 months
- Category 2: Tribal Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration
  - Anticipated Number of Awards: 5
  - Anticipated Award Ceiling: Up to $550,000
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Start Date: October 1, 2025
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Duration: 36 months
- Category 3: State Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration
  - Anticipated Number of Awards: 6
  - Anticipated Award Ceiling: Up to $550,000
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Start Date: October 1, 2025
  - Anticipated Period of Performance Duration: 36 months

Eligible Activities

Key activities include:
- Connecting individuals to behavioral health and community services at all points throughout involvement with the justice system.
- Creating programs to redirect individuals from the justice system to behavioral health services.
- Linking people with behavioral health disorders to case management and crisis stabilization services.
- Establishing or expanding mental health courts or other court-based solutions.
- Increasing diversion strategies led by prosecutors or defense teams.
- Providing needed supports/services for people with behavioral health disorders including employment, housing and primary care.
- Improving evidence-based and trauma-informed screening/assessment and treatment services for people with behavioral health disorders in correctional facilities.
- Offering specialized pre-trial supervision and probation/parole support for cases involving people with behavioral health disorders.
- Training public safety officials and behavioral health providers.
- Building partnerships between state and local agencies.
- Improving competency evaluation and restoration services, along with strengthening local crisis systems, to improve outcomes for people experiencing a behavioral health crisis through BJA’s Aligning Health and Safety (AHS) initiative.

Eligibility Criteria

The types of entities that are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
- Government Entities
  - State governments
  - County governments
  - City or township governments
  - Special district governments
- Tribal Organizations
  - Native American Tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Educational Organizations
  - Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education

For more information, visit Grants.gov.