Research Report Archive

  • Forsyth County Mental Health Needs Assessment: Diverting from the County Criminal Justice System Using the Sequential Intercept Model - The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) was invited to work with the Forsyth County Mental Health Task Force (FCMHTF) to assess the scope of interaction between persons with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) and the criminal justice system, the resources available to treat those persons in the community, and the linkages between those resources and the county criminal justice system. In March of 2016, the CJCC contracted with the Forsyth County Commission for the Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) to conduct this needs assessment in partnership with the FCMHTF.

    The objective for the needs assessment was to identify what is required to ensure that persons with SPMI are diverted from the criminal justice system to crisis intervention and/or treatment. The goal is to identify ways to limit incarcerations in the county jail, provide necessary treatment for persons with mental illness who frequently contact the county’s criminal justice system (“frequent jail users”), and ensure that law enforcement, 911 dispatchers, and the courts can direct patients and their families to appropriate resources in Forsyth County. Click  Download this pdf file. here  to read the full assessment.