King County Criminal Justice Initiatives (CJI)

King County implemented a range of jail reentry programs and services in 2003 and 2004 to help people in the criminal justice system with unmet mental health or substance abuse needs connect to treatment services, stable housing, and other supports as alternatives to incarceration.

The CJI are King County's post booking jail diversion programs.  To learn more about jail diversion for individuals with mental health and/or co-occurring substance use disorders, please see the SAMHSA Co-Occurring Disorders in criminal justice settings, and visit the National GAINS Center.  See also the Council for State Governments Consensus Project, the National Reentry Resource Center, and the Washington National Reentry Resource Center.

The CJI consists of three primary areas of service provision and reentry coordination:

1.  Jail release planning and liaison services (connector programs)
2.  Bridge programs
3.  Specialized forensic intensive service programs

Goals

To provide services that are coordinated, effective and efficient that reduce jail time and the rate of re-offenses and offer individuals a better chance for successfully returning to their communities.  To ensure equity and social justice in King County by contributing to the decriminalization of mental health and substance use for individuals who are able to participate in treatment, housing, and other reentry services in order to reintrigrate back into our communities and prevent future involvement in the criminal justice system.

Service Programs/Process Improvements Implemented

• Evidence-based practices including forensic ACT, IDDT, MRT, WRAP, and Motivational Interviewing
• Co-occurring disorder integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment
• Housing vouchers
• Intensive outpatient chemical dependency treatment at the King County Community Center for Alternative Programs (CCAP)
• Criminal justice liaisons and Jail Health Services release planners
• Jail based chemical dependency assessment / application worker
• Department of Social and Health Services financial application and social workers
• Cross-system training and system-wide forensic staff training 

For more information on the Criminal Justice Initiatives contact Dave Murphy, Project Coordinator; or Jesse Benet, Program Manager.