Client(s):
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
We developed and tested a cost simulation model that projects the utilization, consumer outcomes, costs, and potential cost savings of jail diversion programs for justice-involved individuals with a mental illness and oftentimes a co-occurring substance use disorder.
Jail diversion programs can enhance public safety and improve access to care for those who need it. An HSRI-developed model helps counties assess the feasibility of a jail diversion program in their communities.
Counties have used the model to develop detailed jail diversion implementation plans and budgets.
Effective recovery support for people with mental illness and substance use disorders often requires collaboration across public health and safety systems. Cross-system efforts—like jail diversion programs, which use community-based treatment as an alternative to traditional criminal case processing—can produce powerful results, but planning and implementation can be challenging given the many agencies and their multiple historical approaches.
HSRI developed a computerized model to project the fiscal and consumer outcome implications of a jail diversion program across systems. Using the model, communities can gauge the impact of a local program for different populations in terms of:
In addition to:
Simulation models can be a powerful decision-making tool. They’re a cheaper, quicker, safer, and scientifically sound alternative to costly studies. And they allow a community to consider the impact of various scenarios and service packages before they decide to adopt or implement.
Our model combines expert judgment with real-world, local data to produce tailored projections. Jurisdictions can enter specifics for their potential program, including:
Our model was tested using potential jail diversion candidates from two communities: Chester County, Pennsylvania and Travis County, Texas.
Our test simulation showed that, in both the short term and long term, costs are shifted from the criminal justice system to the community mental health system—but the long-term trend is cost avoidance as individual service needs lessen over time and recidivism rates are reduced.
We also found that:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Policy Research Associates Inc.