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CIT in Action

March 2008: Vol. 3, Issue 3

Feature Story: Criminal Justice Leaders Develop Plan to Transform Florida's Mental Health System

Contributor: Laura Usher

In response to a crisis in community mental health care, compounded by a growing population of people with serious mental illnesses in Florida’s jails and prisons, the Supreme Court of Florida has produced a proposal for the reform of Florida’s criminal justice/mental health system.  The report, entitled "Mental Health: Transforming Florida’s Mental Health System," focuses on improving care for Floridians most at risk for criminal justice involvement. This report is the product of a criminal justice/mental health partnership that benefited from unprecedented leadership from the highest levels of the Governor’s office and the judiciary. (More…)

Advocacy Spotlight: State Legislation Related to CIT

Currently, there are no state laws mandating CIT programs. However, a few states have taken legislative steps to recognize or fund CIT or other specialized police training programs. A Kentucky law establishes CIT as a best practice and requires that CIT training be made available to interested law enforcement departments. A Texas law requires that all police officers receive 16 hours of training in de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques – not CIT, but a step in the right direction. Finally, Florida law establishes a grant program that funds a variety of projects at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice, including CIT and mental health courts. (More...)

News and Announcements

Bureau of Justice Assistance Announces 2008 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Grants

SAMSHA Announces 2008 Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Grants 

Senate Judiciary Committee Approves MIOTCRA Reauthorization

KansasPublic Radio Story on CIT Features NAMI Kansas 

Helpful Links

Comments or Suggestions?

Please let us know what you think we should include in future editions of CIT in Action by emailing Laura Usher at laurau@nami.org.

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