Last year, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts was awarded a $550,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). The JMHCP is a competitive grant program that supports innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who encounter the justice system.

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts is working collaboratively with the Mental Health Task Force to utilize the funds for continued consultation from the National Center for State Courts and to support the implementation and evaluation of five short-term pilot projects throughout Illinois.

In choosing the Pilot Programs, a competitive application process was open to Illinois Courts throughout the months of June and July. In response, Pilot Programs serving court involved individuals in the Circuit Court of Cook County, 2^nd Circuit, 3^rd Circuit, 4^th Circuit, and 17^th Circuit have been awarded a total of $315,000.

Each program is designed to improve the court and community response to individuals with mental illness and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders by designating a Mental Health Professional or Certified Recovery Support Specialist to serve as a liaison to community-based treatment and support services. The pilot programs will be free, confidential, and voluntary court-based resources available to assist court-involved individuals with:

• Screening for behavioral health disorders
• Facilitating warm handoffs to treatment and social services
• Short-term case management and recovery support

Pilot Programs are anticipated to begin January 1, 2023, and operate through the calendar year. The National Center for State Courts will be assisting the Mental Health Task Force in providing pilot sites with technical assistance and program evaluations.