Law Enforcement and Behavioral Health Partnerships for Early Diversion

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2013 for Law Enforcement and Behavioral Health Partnerships for Early Diversion (Short Title: Early Diversion) grants. The purpose of this program is to address the behavioral health needs of people involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the criminal justice system by providing an array of community-based diversion services designed to keep individuals with behavioral health issues out of the criminal justice system while also addressing issues of public safety. This funding announcement is being jointly funded by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to allow flexibility for communities to divert and deliver services to individuals with mental, substance use and co-occurring disorders. CMHS is providing 69 percent of grant funds to divert persons with mental and/or co-occurring substance use disorders to community based diversion services. CSAT is providing 31 percent of grant funds to divert persons with substance use and/or co-occurring mental disorders from the criminal justice system to community-based diversion services. Applicants are also required to provide a non-federal match related to the expenditure of CMHS funds. The Early Diversion program is intended for communities to develop effective partnerships between law enforcement and behavioral health providers to divert adults with mental, substance use and co-occurring disorders from the criminal justice system into community-based service alternatives. These partnerships will make it possible for law enforcement officers to divert adults with mental, substance use and co-occurring disorders from the criminal justice system to community-based behavioral health services to screen, assess, refer, and treat individuals before arrest while maintaining public safety. The Early Diversion program is one of SAMHSA’s services grant programs. SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the sixth month of the project at the latest. Early Diversion grants are authorized under Section 520G of the Public Health Service Act, as amended for CMHS funds and Section 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended for CSAT funds.