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TREATMENT, NOT JAIL: Investing in Rational System Change Florida’s New Reinvestment Act

TREATMENT, NOT JAIL: Investing in Rational System Change Florida’s New Reinvestment Act. Presented by: Michele Saunders, LCSW Judge Mark Speiser. Focus of Presentation. Florida’s Landscape – the crisis Development of the Reinvestment Act to address the crisis Effective advocacy strategies

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TREATMENT, NOT JAIL: Investing in Rational System Change Florida’s New Reinvestment Act

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  1. TREATMENT, NOT JAIL: Investing in Rational System ChangeFlorida’s New Reinvestment Act Presented by: Michele Saunders, LCSW Judge Mark Speiser

  2. Focus of Presentation • Florida’s Landscape – the crisis • Development of the Reinvestment Act to address the crisis • Effective advocacy strategies • Components of the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Act • How this new Act is providing necessary resources to local communities to “Create more Effective Services”

  3. Florida’s Landscape • Funding for community based services “flat” for over 10 years • Rank 48th in Nation per capita for mental health and substance abuse funding • Rank 12th in Forensic spending • Over 125,000 people with serious mental illnesses booked into jail annually • Roughly 150,000 children and adolescents are involved with the Juvenile Justice System

  4. Florida’s Landscape • Jail budgets increasing to cover costs • Increased liability • “The Last Straw” – Lawsuit brought against DCF Administrator for failing to comply with the law to move people deemed incompetent to stand trial to a forensic bed within 15 days – people lingering in jails

  5. Definition of Crisis A Time of great danger or trouble, often one which threatens to result in unpleasant consequences A Turning point in the course of anything, decisive or crucial time, stage or event.

  6. Crisis in Mandarin Chinese:

  7. Comprehensive Approach vs. Quick Fixes • Align state policy making and budgets with what works • Increase use of best practices and evidenced based practices • Allow local flexibility • Build State, local, public, private partnerships

  8. Comprehensive Approach vs. Quick Fixes • Increase cross system collaboration • Increase capacity of community based services • Decrease jail expenditures • Reinvest savings or cost avoidance spending back into the community based system

  9. Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Act • Modeled after the Federal Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act • Similar format as the BJA Matching Grant Program

  10. Advocacy:A Necessary Component for Creating Effective Programs

  11. The Power of One Voice: The Key Partners for Advocacy • Florida Partners In Crisis • Criminal Justice, behavioral healthcare and consumer advocacy leaders • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation • Legislatively created corporation to review and provide recommendations to the legislature about needs for the system • Board members appointed by Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House • The Florida Association of Counties • Trade Association for Florida Counties • Sheriffs in local counties run the jail

  12. Our Advocacy Strategies THE FORGOTTEN FLOOR

  13. Our Advocacy Strategies Treatment, Not Jail: Investing in Community Solutions to Florida’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Florida Partners in Crisis 2007 Legislative Agenda

  14. Our Advocacy Strategies • Organized Op Ed pieces from key members • Organized testimony at committee meetings • Created various handouts • Developed a Button: SB 542 • Members met with local legislators • High profile members met with key legislators – role of judiciary and law enforcement • Calls, emails and letter campaign

  15. Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Act • The components of the ACT • How it works • The awards • Local county projects

  16. Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Act • Jointly funded by Healthcare and Criminal Justice Appropriations Committees • $3.8 million appropriated: 1 year planning or 3 year implementation/expansion grants • Funds are matched dollar for dollar by the local counties • Established local planning councils • Oversight by a state Policy Council • Create a Technical Assistance Center at the Florida Mental Health Institute

  17. Significance • Begins a county and state partnership to reduce the number of individuals with substance abuse and/or mental health disorders in local jails and state prisons. • Provides Florida with the necessary tools to redesign our fragmented mental health system.

  18. General Purpose • Provide matching grant funding dollars to counties that will: • increase public safety • avert increase spending on criminal justice • improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services for adults and juveniles who have mental illness, substance abuse disorders, or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders.

  19. Policy Council’s Role • Work in conjunction with grantee counties • Ensure that effective strategies developed are disseminated statewide • Establish a state-local dialogue for policy and budget development and for system change and improvements • Coordinate its work with the newly created Technical Assistance Center • Prepare an annual report to the legislature

  20. Technical Assistance Center • The Reinvestment Act created the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. Its primary functions are: • To provide technical assistance to counties for the preparation and implementation of grants • Assesses the impact of grant awards on county criminal justice systems • To serve as a clearinghouse for information about criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse issues, including best practices.

  21. Awards and Description of Local Programs

  22. Types of Programs • CIT Programs • Outreach • Housing • Mental Health Courts • Forensic Case Managers • Forensic Probation • Increase use of Peer Specialists

  23. BROWARD COUNTY

  24. Next Steps • Work with counties who received grants for successful implementation • Work with Legislature to sustain funding and expand funding • Build on this legislation with additional legislation for effectively invest in rational system change away from the justice system • Use this legislation to help “Create More Effective Services”

  25. Contact information Michele Saunders, LCSW Executive Director Florida Partners in Crisis 407/574-7182 Michele.fpic@comcast.net Judge Mark Speiser 17th Judicial Circuit Court Felony Mental Health Court 954/831-7805 mspeiser@17th.flcourts.org

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