Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - Criminal and Juvenile Justice
SAMHSA promotes early intervention and treatment as healthier alternatives to detaining people with behavioral health conditions in the U.S. justice system. In doing this work, SAMHSA recognizes the balance of public health and public safety priorities.
SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
SAMHSA's Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center offers communities, clinicians, policy-makers, and others with tools and information to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings.
According to SAMHSA, you can find the resource you need by searching via topic area, substance, or condition as well as resource type (e.g., Toolkit, Treatment Improvement Protocol, Guideline), target population (e.g., Youth, Adult), and target audience (e.g., resource for Clinicians, Prevention Professionals, Patients, Policymakers).
BJA strengthens the Nation’s criminal justice system and helps America’s state, local, and tribal jurisdictions reduce and prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and promote a fair and safe criminal justice system.Â
U.S. Department of Justice - Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office
The COPS Office is responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation's state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources.
National Institute of Corrections
The mission of NIC is to advance public safety by shaping and enhancing correctional policies and practices through leadership, learning, and innovation.
Texas Health and Human Services
HHS works with federally qualified health clinics, medical associations, community partners and local governments to help Texans find the care they need to maximize their health, safety and overall well-being.
Veterans Mental Health Department
VMHD is focused on ensuring access to competent mental health services for service members, veterans, and their families. VMHD accomplishes this task by providing training, certification, and technical assistance across Texas.
Texas Commission on Jail Standards
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is the regulatory agency for all county jails and privately operated municipal jails in the state. TCJS's mission is to assist local governments in providing safe, secure and suitable local jail facilities through our provision of the following services.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The TDCJ works to provide public safety, promote positive change in offender behavior, reintegrate offenders into society, and assist victims of crime.
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
The TDHCA is the state agency responsible for affordable housing, community and energy assistance programs, colonia activities, and regulation of the state's manufactured housing industry.
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement
As a regulatory State agency, TCOLE aims to establish and enforce standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections, and telecommunications personnel.
Texas Indigent Defense Commission
The TIDC safeguards liberty by ensuring that Texas and its 254 counties provide the right to counsel guaranteed by the United States and Texas Constitutions. TIDC is tasked with funding, overseeing, and improving public defense in each of Texas county.
Texas Juvenile Justice Department
The TJJD works in partnership with local juvenile boards and juvenile probation departments to support and enhance juvenile probation services throughout the state by providing funding, technical assistance, and training; establishing and enforcing standards; collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information; and facilitating communication between state and local entities.
Texas Council of Community Centers
Texas Council of Community Centers represents the 39 public Community Centers throughout Texas providing services and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, serious mental illness, and substance addictions.
The Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health
TIEMH draws on the expertise available within the state to strengthen the workforce, enhance our collective knowledge about effective mental health practices, and facilitate the dissemination of research-supported promotion, prevention, and intervention practices.
Interested in Additional Resources?
Learn more about others leading this work and find additional resources at the links below.
Find Local Resources
2-1-1 Texas, a program of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, is committed to helping Texas citizens connect with the services they need. 2-1-1 Texas is a free, anonymous social service hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Housing
SAMHSA: Permanent Supportive Housing: How to Use the Evidence-Based Practices KITs
This toolkit outlines the essential components for supportive housing services and programs for people living with mental illness disorders. It discusses how to develop and integrate evidence-based programs in mental health systems. The toolkit includes eight booklets on program development.
Transportation
SAMHSA: National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: Best Practice Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to bridge the gap that currently exists in our continuum of care by solidifying national best practice guidelines that reflects SAMHSA’s view of the standard of care we must expect in our communities.
This resource from the National Judicial Task Force identifies online resources and publications showcasing State Courts' Responses to Mental Illness.
People with mental illness and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) cycle through the courts but often lack the tools to address their needs or access adequate treatment. Mental Health Court (MHC) programs can be used to connect people with appropriate treatment, community resources, and ongoing judicial monitoring to address these issues.
Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health: Bench Books
Bench Books published on the JCMH website are helpful resources for judges and attorneys handling cases regarding persons with mental illness and/or IDD. These resources are intended for referential use.
A National Compendium of Court Navigation Programs (prainc.com
The purpose of this compendium is to provide a national picture of court navigation programs across the United States. This tool has compiled information about existing court navigation programs to share how these services have been funded, their core components, and their implementation.
SAMHSA: Crisis Services: Effectiveness, Cost-Effectiveness, and Funding Strategies
This report summarizes the clinical and cost effectiveness of crisis services. It also presents case studies of approaches states are using to coordinate, consolidate, and blend funding sources to provide robust crisis services.
SAMHSA: National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: Best Practice Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to bridge the gap that currently exists in our continuum of care by solidifying national best practice guidelines that reflects SAMHSA’s view of the standard of care we must expect in our communities.
In response to Presidential Executive Order 14074 - Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety. Section 14 - Promoting Comprehensive and Collaborative Responses to Persons in Behavioral or Mental Health Crisis. This document provides guidance and outlines the application of federal disability rights laws in this area, as well as best practices for responding to crises experienced by people with disabilities, including people with behavioral health disabilities, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), or other cognitive disabilities, who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who are blind or low-vision.
Microskills for Community Supervision Professionals
This resource can be used to enhance core correctional practice skills and will improve your ability to facilitate behavior change in the people you work with. It takes both technical and interpersonal skills to help people succeed, and you are in the best position to empower individuals to take ownership of their own progress and rehabilitation.
Advancing Community Supervision Strategies
These resources are a compilation of existing practices in community corrections that jurisdictions are implementing around the country. This list is meant to help you sift through the wide array of information available on any number of community corrections topics and present you with what we hope are the best tools currently available.
This review aims to describe and highlight the potential use of the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) to decrease jail stays and maximize community service connections for individuals with impairing mental health conditions who are involved in the justice system and for whom diversion is a safe option.
JCMH County Mental Health Law Plan: Early Intervention
Watch this video from the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health (JCMH) to learn about early intervention. The video also discusses the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 16.22 and Mental Health Bonds.
Bureau of Justice Assistance: Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
The PMHC Toolkit provides resources for law enforcement agencies to partner with service providers, advocates, and individuals with mental illness and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The goal of these partnerships is to ensure the safety of all, to respond effectively, and to improve access to services and supports for people with mental illness and I/DD.
This checklist offers a comprehensive framework for planning and implementing an interoperability solution across justice, health, and social service domains.
SAMHSA: Data Collection Across the Sequential Intercept Model: Essential Measures
This manual provides a starting place for jurisdictions looking to use data to better understand and improve the outcomes of people with mental and/or substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal justice system.Â
Find Local Resources
Suicide Prevention | Texas Health and Human Services
Texas Health and Human Services offers a resource guide to suicide prevention both locally in-state and nationwide. Mental health services listed in this guide offer telephone, chat, text and other resources for people who are at risk of suicide.
National Resources
When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers. Trained counselors will connect people with help and support during a mental health, substance use or suicide crisis, 24/7.
Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision | CSG Justice Center
This report introduces an evidence-based framework for prioritizing scarce resources based on assessments of individuals’ risk of committing a future crime and their treatment and support needs.
MCSA White Paper Publication On Mental Health | Mayor County Sheriffs of America
Developed by the Major County Sheriffs of America in partnership with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), this report identifies innovative practices that have proven successful in reducing the arrest and incarceration of individuals living with mental illness in jurisdictions across the country.
Programs That Support Jails | Bureau of Justice Assistance
The BJA programs summarized in this Fact Sheet are considered by BJA to be especially relevant to the management and performance of Jails.
Current Minimum Standards | Texas Commission on Jail Standards
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards declare state policy that all county jail facilities conform to minimum standards of construction, maintenance and operation.
Mental Health Resources | Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Texas Commission on Jail Standards provides a list of Mental Health resources, including risk assessments and screening forms.
Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System | SAMHSA
This guide examines a wide range of evidence-based practices for screening and assessment of people in the justice system who have co-occurring mental and substance-use disorders.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance convened a Jail Practitioner Roundtable on Opioid-Related Training Needs and gathered input from jail practitioners and stakeholders on training products and resources for managing the well-being of inmates with opioid use disorder (OUD) or substance use disorders (SUDs).
This report introduces what has been learned from the sheriffs’ and jail administrators’ innovative use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), describing the essential components of these programs and analyzing the latest research on how these programs are best implemented.
The GAINS Center focuses on expanding access to services for people with mental and/or substance use disorders who come into contact with the adult criminal justice system.
Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book
The Judicial Commission on Mental Health’s procedural guide organized around the Sequential Intercept Model.
Texas Juvenile Justice Department
The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health developed an overview of the state of juvenile justice services in Texas in 2020 that reflects legislative impacts, data and an overview of the Texas Juvenile Justice System with some county juvenile probation highlights.Â
Diversion from Formal Juvenile Court Processing
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s literature review is on diversion programs that range from the initial point of contact with the justice system (such as contact with the police) up until disposition in the juvenile courts, at which point a youth may still be redirected away from formal court processing.
School Mental Health Practice Guide and Toolkit
This toolkit reviews the foundational components of school-based mental health services in Texas and provides resources on ways to support youth with behavioral health needs in school-based settings.
Interactions between Youth and Law Enforcement
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s literature review will discuss the research relevant to interactions between police and youth. Topics in this review include the prevalence of police–youth interactions, factors that influence such interactions, the role of law enforcement in the juvenile justice system, and the outcome evidence of programs developed to help improve police–youth encounters.
National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care
Provides guidance on how states and communities can address gaps in capacity to serve youth and families. It offers best practices, implementation strategies, and practical guidance for the design and development of services that meet the needs of American children and their families experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
Justice Involved Veterans (JIV) Program
The Texas JIV Program works to improve veteran services across the entire criminal justice continuum. JIV Managers serve as resources to provide technical assistance and training to Texas Veteran Treatment Courts, partners with local and state law enforcement to deliver officers relevant trainings such as trauma affected veterans and crisis intervention strategies and collaborates with the local jail and state prison systems to better ensure that incarcerated veterans have access to veteran-specific services and programming.
Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN)
The MVPN is made of Texas Veterans Commission Certified Peer Service Coordinators and their peer volunteers strategically placed within the local mental health authorities across Texas to create a statewide peer-to-peer network for any service member, veteran, or family member. The MVPN provides services including direct peer-to-peer support, training on suicide prevention and military cultural competency, coordination of mental health first aid, and warm-handoffs to local resources based on the individual needs of the veteran and family.
The goal of the Homeless Veteran Initiative is to improve the accessibility of resources and services for Texas military veterans and their loved ones who are experiencing homelessness or are at-risk of becoming homeless.
Justice Involved Veterans Network
The Justice Involved Veterans Network (JIVN) is a cross divisional effort at National Institutes of Corrections in partnership with the Veterans Administration working to improve outcomes for justice involved veterans.
This framework directs behavioral health, justice system, and community stakeholders to work collaboratively across systems to design and implement evidence-based programming to forward the dual goals of individual recovery and risk reduction.
This paper may be used to advance discussions on how to better connect people who are in prisons and jails to public health insurance and other benefits, with a particular emphasis on Medicaid, to support their care upon release.
This guide examines the types of interventions that support successful reentry for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders who are leaving jail/prison.
Returning to the Community: Health Care After Incarceration
This guide will assist individuals upon release and re-entering the community to better understand their health care needs, including physical and behavioral health, to learn key information, terms, people, and titles to help connect to health care services pre- and post-release. Other topics include information on insurance coverage types and how to apply, plus tips to get started using health coverage to receive needed services to support a successful reentry and healthy life.
Guidelines for Managing Substance Withdrawal in Jail
Published as a collaboration between the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and National Institute of Corrections, this report is designed to support jails (including detention, holding, and lockup facilities) and communities in providing effective health care for adults (18 years of age and older) who are sentenced or awaiting sentencing to jail, awaiting court action on a current charge, or being held in custody for other reasons (e.g., violation of terms of probation or parole) and are at risk for or experiencing substance withdrawal.
Implementing a Mental Health Diversion Program. A Guide for Policymakers and Practitioners
A guide for policymakers and practitioners on determining if your community would benefit from a diversion center as well as the steps and phases to implementing a mental health diversion program.
Overview of homelessness and corrections in the United States, as well as reentry housing programs, housing programs, and resources for jails and prisons.
Examining the Use of Braided Funding for Substance Use Disorder Services
This report from SAMHSA analyzes state and federal laws and policies that encourage braided funding to provide substance use disorder services, pathways to sustainability for substance use disorder programs, and best practices for braiding funds.
The Link Center - Briding I/DD and Mental Health Systems
The Link Center is an online resource that provides support for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other cognitive disabilities with co-occurring mental health conditions. Tools available on The Link Center include resources, technical assistance, announcements, and expertise from the organization's Steering Committee.