The mission of the Behavioral Health/Criminal Justice (BH/CJ) Committee is to seek systemic improvements at the intersection of the behavioral health and criminal legal systems to improve the lives of individuals with cross-system involvement for the betterment of the Toledo/Lucas County community.
The BH/CJ Committee envisions a community with a cross-system continuum of care, co-created and co-owned by behavioral health and criminal legal system stakeholders, that improves outcomes for individuals with behavioral health issues, reduces inappropriate incarceration, increases access to services, and enhances public safety.
The CJCC and the Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (MHRSB) created the BHCJ Committee on March 1, 2017, in order to enhance collaboration between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. This committee is facilitated by the Behavioral Health/Criminal Justice Coordinator and is comprised of elected officials, community members, and representatives from both the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. The BHCJ meets regularly to support and enhance collaboration between the two systems to improve outcomes for individuals, reduce inappropriate incarceration, increase access to services, and enhance public safety.
The Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) details how individuals with mental and substance use disorders come into contact with and move through the criminal justice system. Representatives from the behavioral health and criminal justice system in Lucas County from July 13th to 14th of 2023 to identify resources and gaps in services at each intercept and develop local strategic action plans. This report was prepared based on information shared during the workshop.