The St. Clair County Adult Redeploy Illinois Program will be directed by the St. Clair County Probation Department which will work to implement a specialized docket for non-violent offenders who have mental health or co-occurring disorders. In partnership with the St. Clair County Mental Health Task Force, the program will provide best practice models and evidence-based practices for addressing mental health needs of offenders so that they can be effectively diverted from the Illinois Department of Corrections into community-based supervision and services. The task force will work to develop policies and procedures and a formal agreement for a court-supervised mental health program for participants who have committed offenses of retail theft, retail theft subsequent, possession of cannabis, and Class 3 and 4 property offenses.

This project will include extensive cross training for staff in the criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse systems on the needs and characteristics of offenders with mental illness and co-occurring disorders, implementation of strategies for effective supervision of mentally ill offenders, and community education and support for offenders with mental illness and their families. A jail crisis worker will provide additional screening for the program to identify non-violent offenders that meet program criteria. A court team will review cases and manage a specialized docket for mentally ill offenders. The court team will consist of a circuit judge and representatives from the state’s attorney and public defender’s office, probation, mental health and substance abuse staff. A full-time coordinator housed in the probation department will assume a lower caseload that will allow for more intensive case management, implementation of evidenced-based practices, and close monitoring and supervision for offenders entering the program. The coordinator will work closely with all project participants to develop a coordinated approach and to ensure that offenders receive appropriate and timely services.

Mental health treatment and referrals to other community resources and services will be provided through the two local mental health centers, including outpatient counseling, substance abuse services, psychosocial rehabilitation, housing, crisis intervention, vocational services, and illness self-management and recovery programs for offenders and their families. All treatment services are funded by local tax revenues and state and federal grants and revenues and will be provided at no cost to program participants. A continuum of residential services will be provided for Adult Redeploy participants. Residential crisis stabilization services, which are presently unavailable to this population, will be purchased through the program. ARI funds will also support residential substance abuse treatment for a number of offenders identified with serious, co-occurring substance abuse disorders. In addition, transitional residential services will be provided to assist in transitioning offenders from residential substance abuse treatment to community living arrangements. Barriers to nine:services will be addressed with problem solving strategies employed. Flexible funding will be allocated to deal with issues such as residential substance abuse treatment, emergency housing needs, medication funding and management, and transportation, which are currently lacking in St. Clair County.