A broad coalition of stakeholders met today to discuss ways Oregon can help counties and tribal governments improve responses to people in the criminal justice system who have behavioral health needs.

Thirty-two of the state’s 36 local public safety coordinating councils (LPSCC) were represented at the Oregon Forum on Behavioral Health and Public Safety, which took place at the Salem Convention Center. Attendees included sheriffs, jail commanders, community mental health program (CMHP) directors, probation and parole officers, judges, local police departments, LPSCC coordinators, jail mental health directors, representatives from coordinated care organizations, Oregon Health Authority behavorial health staff, district attorneys and public defenders.

Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said, “The justice system was designed to prevent, protect against and prosecute criminal offenses. It was not designed to treat mental illness. The best way to support people with mental illness is to connect them to treatment in our local communities. Today’s conversation is a chance to deepen the partnership between Oregon’s behavioral health and public safety systems and lay the groundwork for more effective solutions that better promote individual recovery and community safety.”

Participants at the forum discussed the challenges that local governments and the state face regarding community behavioral health treatment and services, including services that are tailored to people in the criminal justice system. They also discussed how to increase access to and effectiveness of behavioral health treatment in localities across the state and how to improve information and data sharing across behavioral health and criminal justice agencies.

“While Oregon has a rich base of behavioral health treatment practitioners, services are not equally accessible to all, especially for people in the criminal justice system,” said Michael Schmidt, Executive Director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission (CJC). “Even when people are able to access services, those services too often are not timely or tailored to be most effective in addressing the unique characteristics and needs of people with frequent contact with the criminal justice system.”

The statewide forum builds on the national 50-State Summit on Public Safety, which was hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center in partnership with the Association of the State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) in November 2017. The CSG Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that provides practical, nonpartisan advice and evidence-based strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities.

Attending the 50-State Summit from Oregon were CJC Director Mike Schmidt, Oregon Department of Corrections Director Colette Peters and Assistant Director for Offender Management and Rehabilitation Heidi Stewart and Judge Kelly Skye. They joined teams from 49 other states at the summit to examine local criminal justice trends and identify strategies for reducing crime and recidivism, improving outcomes for people who have mental illnesses and substance addictions, and reducing spending on prisons and jails.

“Like many states across the nation, Oregon has seen an increase in the number of drug overdose deaths over the last decade, particularly from methamphetamine use. Local and state law enforcement and corrections departments report that many people in their custody struggle with mental illnesses and substance addictions,” said Dr. Reginald C. Richardson Sr., Executive Director of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission. “Developing a more comprehensive and integrated statewide behavioral health strategy is essential to supporting local systems.”

Oregon is currently seeking to partner with the CSG Justice Center to use a data-driven behavorial health justice reinvestment approach to analyze and address the state’s challenges. This project would be a unique approach in that county and tribal government officials would help drive the project to ensure that the statewide strategies identified can truly improve behavioral health and criminal justice outcomes and reduce costs at the local level.

The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission hosted the state forum, and it was facilitated by representatives from the CSG Justice Center. Funding for the forum was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.