WISE program analysis: Evaluating the first 15 months of progress in a novel treatment diversion program for women

Like other counties across the nation, Fulton County, GA, has seen a significant increase in the number of arrests of people with serious mental illness. While Fulton County has accountability courts, some defendants with mental illness are not able to take advantage of these options due to their mental illness rendering them incompetent to understand the expectations required by these courts. The WISE (Women's Initiative for Success with Early Intervention) pilot project created a pathway for incompetent women to be diverted out of jail and into mental health treatment that was faster than the traditional evaluation for competency to stand trial pathway. A total of 16 female misdemeanants with non-violent charges were referred to the program. All women in WISE received intensive case management services. Some women were sent to a psychiatric hospital for involuntary hospitalization, some were released back to the community, and some were sent to a state forensic hospital for competency restoration services. Compared with a similar group of female misdemeanants prior to inception of the pilot project, women in the WISE group spent significantly fewer days in jail (mean of 64.9 days versus 163.46 days). Thus, preliminary findings from the pilot project indicate that referral to the WISE program significantly reduced the burden of excess time in jail associated with having an untreated mental illness.