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Justice and Behavioral Health Strategy Lab

Jail medical contract to support screening for mental illness

Contracts with jail medical providers are important for facilitating the screening and assessment process for serious mental illness (SMI) at the jail. These contracts can also ensure that data on SMI are provided to the jail to support the jail’s data collection efforts related to Stepping Up. 

Local Examples

San Luis Obispo County, CA San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office

  • The county’s contract with a jail medical provider encompasses requirements to assist in data collection and reporting for Stepping Up efforts. Information sharing and Stepping Up activity requirements for the medical provider include the following:
    • Conducting the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) universally at intake
    • Tracking and maintaining information for all statistics required for Stepping Up
    • Conducting a mental health evaluation within 14 days of admission for all people in the jail

Type

Policy & Practice

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Copyright 2024 The Council of State Governments. All Rights Reserved.

This project was supported by Grants No. 15PBJA-22-GK-03568-MENT and 15PBJA-22-GK-03573-MENT awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.