Who succeeds in jail diversion programs for persons with mental illness? A multi-site study

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Jail diversion programs aim to redirect individuals with mental illness from incarceration to community-based treatment.
• Understanding participant characteristics is crucial for optimizing program effectiveness and public safety outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how participant characteristics in jail diversion programs influence recidivism and incarceration duration for individuals with mental illness.
• To assess the impact of these programs on public safety outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a multi-site, federally funded jail diversion initiative.
• Employed a pre-post comparison design analyzing 12-month criminal justice involvement (arrests, jail days) before and after program enrollment.
• Examined 12-month public safety outcomes.

Main Results:

• Individuals with mental illness participating in diversion programs experienced significant reductions in arrests and jail days.
• Approximately 50% of participants had no arrests in the year following enrollment.
• Prior criminal history emerged as a key predictor differentiating individuals with reduced versus unchanged/increased criminal justice contact.

Conclusions:

• Jail diversion programs effectively reduce recidivism and incarceration for people with mental illness.
• Program success is linked to addressing public safety concerns alongside public health needs.
• Targeted interventions for diverted individuals should consider criminal history to enhance public safety outcomes.