First Appearance | September 2022

Building a Behavioral Health Continuum

NCSL’s Criminal and Civil Justice Program hosted state lawmakers from 15 states in Long Beach, Calif., to learn about building a more robust behavioral health care continuum. Ideas ranged from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to jail in-reach and reentry programming. Hear from some of the same faculty and learn more about their ideas by watching this recording of NCSL’s Legislative Summit session 5 Big Ideas to Improve Crisis Response. Related Info: 988 Lifeline Is Connection to Care for Those in Crisis

911 Workforce

With over 240 million calls made annually to 911 call centers, telecommunicators at these locations are an essential part of the legal system. These operators have specialized training and often provide lifesaving advice to callers. NCSL’s Annie Kitch looks at the efforts to bolster and elevate this vital workforce.

Probation and Parole Violations Definitions

According to research, almost half of prison admissions nationwide stem from violations of probation or parole for either new offenses or technical violations and some states have put into statute explicit definitions for violations of community supervision. Learn more about those definitions in NCSL's new law database.

Public Safety Strategies in 2023

State criminal and juvenile justice systems are facing new and different public safety concerns, including fentanyl overdoses, car jackings, catalytic converter theft and more. Join NCSL Dec. 5-7 in San Diego for Forecast ’23 to learn how legislatures are pivoting to tackle the current crime trends by tailoring policies and focusing resources on approaches that prioritize public safety.

The Cache

• Safety and Justice Challenge | Examining the Impacts of Arrest Deflection Strategies on Jail Reduction Efforts
• R Street | Conservative Jurisdictions Champion Pre-Arrest Diversion Strategies
• CSG Justice Center:
  • Improving Domestic Violence Responses in Vermont
  • Trauma-Informed Approaches Across the Sequential Intercept Model

In the News

• The Spokane County District Court is working with Pioneer Human Services to provide phone call court date reminders to help people with upcoming court appearances.
• Authorities are trying to reduce crowding in the Missoula County jail through the diversion of nonviolent and mental health related offenses.
• The New Orleans Police Department has started hiring civilians to combat officer shortages. The city is planning to place civilians in administrative and investigative roles with their sights on reducing the mounting case backlog.
• Pennington County in South Dakota has announced it will expand its Crisis Stabilization Program by the end of the year. This program aims to divert people in mental health crises from jails to more appropriate care.