Behavioral health
Providing crucial resources and support from experienced court professionals and behavioral health experts.
Intersection of behavioral health & the courts
Many times, managing behavioral health issues requires creativity, new and specialized knowledge, and multi-disciplinary and multi-agency collaboration. Backed by experienced academics and practitioners, we shape many national and state supreme court behavioral health initiatives playing out in local courthouses, treatment facilities, jails and communities today. Many courts are finding success in implementing the recommendations outlined in the SJI-funded National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts' Response to Mental Illness final report and recommendations, "State Courts Leading Change."
Supporting mental health diversion from the bench
Understand how courts and judges can promote and implement diversion strategies for individuals with behavioral health needs in their communities using our guides.
Understanding competency
Courts face growing competency backlogs driven by limited evaluation and treatment resources, staffing shortages, and the growing use of the competency process as a default response to mental illness in criminal cases.
Partnering in the Judges & Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI)
NCSC, along with the Council of State Governments Justice Center and American Psychiatric Association Foundation, is working to stimulate, support, and enhance efforts by judges and psychiatrists to improve judicial, community, and systemic responses to people with behavioral health needs who are involved in the justice system.
Gain insights from our team of experts
Our extensive work in behavioral health informs best practices and guidance shared with courts across the country.
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Reimagining competency & restoration: From practice to possibility
This article explores current competency laws, system bottlenecks, and emerging practices that support timely, fair, and effective outcomes to assist courts, justice partners, and policymakers.
Judges' guide to adult mental health jargon
This resource was developed to help judges better understand mental health, more effectively communicate with individuals with mental health needs appearing before them, and provide insight on mental health to guide initiatives in their communities.
Judges & Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative honors behavioral health leaders
Presented by the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI) - a partnership between NCSC, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation - the Judge Stephen S. Goss Awards recognize the critical impact of judges and psychiatrists in improving outcomes for people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system.