Collaborative Approaches to Mental Health Diversion in Miami-Dade.

• Author: Towe, Hallie Fader
• Position: Discussion

With over 500 counties passing resolutions in support of the Stepping Up initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails, (1) more and more communities are seeking to develop viable "offramps" from various steps in the criminal justice process to community-based treatment and supports through "diversion" programs. Numerous states are considering or have passed legislation authorizing and sometimes funding pre-plea diversion programs for those with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. (2) Federal funders, such as the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, are seeding programs throughout the country, (3) as well as tools focused on prosecutors, (4) and private funders, such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, see diversion as a critical tool in the toolbox for appropriately reducing jail populations as part of its Safety and Justice Challenge. (5)

Does diversion work? We are finally getting multi-site research that gives reason to be optimistic, (6) as well as a growing number of individual site evaluations. (7) In meetings and conferences across the country, the answer is often "Look at what they did in Miami." How did a large, diverse jurisdiction proud of its stance on public safety become a national leader in developing collaborative approaches to improving outcomes for people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders?

To answer these questions, we went to the source: Judge Steve Leifman and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle have worked together to lead change in Miami for over two decades. They shared candid reflections about their "19 year 'overnight success,'" and we added citations so that those who are interested in the Miami story can access tools and examples for their own jurisdictions.

There are so many areas of potential concern for an elected judge and prosecutor. Why this one? Why focus on people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders over such a long period of time?

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle (KFR): Under the current system, we are often releasing people with serious mental illnesses back to the community without treatment and supports, which threatens public safety, wastes critical tax dollars, and inhibits recovery for people with these illnesses.

Judge Steve Leifman (SL): Did you know that people with mental illness were no more dangerous that the general population and much more likely to...