The high percentage of inmates with mental health and/or substance use issues presents significant challenges to the correctional system. Untreated behavioral health issues contribute to higher rates of recidivism as well as a myriad of other barriers to successful community re-entry. To begin to address these challenges, the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative convened a workgroup to review behavioral health services available in the Allegheny County Jail, identify gaps and challenges, and create “maps” of the service navigation process.

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Community-based Day Reporting Centers have changed the way that offenders on probation are managed in Allegheny County. Centers focus on rehabilitation, offering a one-stop shop of services designed to support successful community re-entry. After being categorized according to their likelihood of re-offending, offenders are either assigned to an administrative caseload (low-risk offenders) or provided a needs assessment that results in an individualized case plan.

Initially faced with challenges such as community concerns and probation officer adjustment, the Day Reporting Centers have been positively received and can point to a number of successes including lower re-booking rates for medium- and high-risk offenders.

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Prepared by: Bruce Barron

Ensuring the safety of victims of domestic violence requires a change in the behavior of those who commit the crime (batterers).  Unfortunately, existing batterer intervention programs are ineffective, at best, and not based upon empirical evidence. In partnership with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, the Allegheny County Jail and the District Attorney’s office, DHS conducted a review of local programs and best practices, and  identified criteria to improve program quality, consistency and fidelity.  Based upon these criteria, an RFP was issued for implementation of batterer intervention programs in the community and the Allegheny County Jail.  Implementation is currently underway.

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This report and accompanying video describe the Allegheny County Jail’s Family Support Program, implemented in 2009 as a key strategy of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative’s Reentry Program

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These narratives describe the experiences of individuals who participated in the Allegheny County Jail Reentry Program.

Stories of Transition – Part I
Stories of Transition – Part II 

This report provides an overview of the Allegheny County Jail’s Discharge Center.

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This report provides a description of the DUI Alternative to Jail Program and its impact on the systems and individuals involved.

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Three events were held throughout May and June of 2011, designed to bring together youth and families from a number of DHS children and youth-serving systems. A description and evaluation of each event are included in this report.

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This report summarizes the development, implementation and evaluation of a crisis intervention training program designed to teach police officers how to identify and intervene appropriately and safely with individuals with mental illness.

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This report provides an overview of Allegheny County’s Juvenile Justice Related Services, created to ensure that adolescents in the juvenile justice system who are struggling with behavioral health issues receive coordinated services tailored to their individual needs.

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• Executive Summary of Juvenile Justice Related Services in Allegheny County
• Key Characteristics of Juvenile Justice Related Services in Allegheny County
• Parent Participation, a Successful Approach to Involving Parents in Allegheny County

This report describes Allegheny County’s criminal justice case review process, including factors that have contributed to its success and proposed solutions to ongoing issues.

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This analysis uses summary violations and criminal convictions to compare recidivism rates of graduates of the Allegheny County Mental Health Court, which was established in 2001 to address the needs of people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders in judicial proceedings.

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