February 13, 2020

People with mental illness involved in the justice system are often incarcerated instead of receiving community-based mental healthcare. Consequently, they are over-represented in the U.S. correctional system. There is a high prevalence of mental illness and drug use among inmates who re-enter society without the necessary support following incarceration. It happens for many reasons including lack of community resources to better ensure successful reintegration, and lack of support to meet basic food, housing, and transportation needs. The Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transition Center (MHTTC) performed a mental health training and technical assistance needs assessment among probation and parole officers in Region 8. This needs assessment led to the development of a comprehensive report, and six state-specific fact sheets. In response to the results of this study, the Mountain Plains MHTTC team began to identify existing resources and technical assistance programs accessible to those involved in the justice system. These are all housed on the Mountain Plains MHTTC Criminal Justice webpage.