Revising the paradigm for jail diversion for people with mental and substance use disorders: Intercept 0

Abstract

A conceptual model for community-based strategic planning to address the criminalization of adults with mental and substance use disorders, the Sequential Intercept Model has provided jurisdictions with a framework that overcomes traditional boundaries between the agencies within the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. This article presents a new paradigm, Intercept 0, for expanding the utility of the Sequential Intercept Model at the front end of the criminal justice system. Intercept 0 encompasses the early intervention points for people with mental and substance use disorders before they are placed under arrest by law enforcement. The addition of Intercept 0 creates a conceptual space that enables stakeholders from the mental health, substance use, and criminal justice systems to consider the full spectrum of real-world interactions experienced by people with mental and substance use disorders with regard to their trajectories, or lack thereof, through the criminal justice system.

Justice involvement patterns, overdose experiences, and naloxone knowledge among men and women in criminal justice diversion addiction treatment

“…Herein, we examine one less punitive approach in which the addiction treatment and criminal justice system settings intersect: justice diversion addiction treatment programs, which provide PWUO facing legal prosecution with addiction treatment to reduce sentences or avoid criminal charges [13, 19, 20]. PWUO are referred to justice diversion programs by law enforcement, drug courts, the correctional system, or through parole or probationary boards [19, 21–25]. How best to tailor OEND programs to minimize post-treatment overdose risk among clients of justice diversion addiction treatments has not been thoroughly examined.…”

The Criminal/Legal Experiences of Individuals with Mental Illness along the Sequential Intercept Model: An Eight-Site Study

“…One approach to accomplish this is the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM; Munetz & Griffin, 2006). The SIM highlights six “points of interception” where decision makers can change practices or processes, with the explicit goal of reducing the proportion of individuals with SMI along the criminal/legal continuum (Abreu et al, 2017; Griffin et al, 2015). Although scholars disagree about the role of mental illness in criminal/legal involvement (see the criminalization hypothesis, Abramson, 1972; or Peterson et al, 2010), between the 1970s and the 2000s, the rate of SMI in jails and prisons increased as the incarcerated population grew by more than 500% (The Sentencing Project, 2018).…”

“…The SIM is an ideal framework for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and social work professionals interested in effecting Smart Decarceration. It is a conceptual framework designed to address and reduce the overrepresentation of individuals with SMI in the criminal/legal system at six points of intercept: (0) community resources, (1) law enforcement and emergency services, (2) initial detention and hearings, (3) jails and courts, (4) reentry from jails and prisons, and (5) community corrections (Abreu et al, 2017; Munetz & Griffin, 2006). The SIM is a useful tool as it allows typically siloed agencies to see the “bigger picture” of the criminal/legal continuum, acknowledging the multiple points of diversion into community-based treatment.…”

“…In the original conception of the SIM, Intercept 0 was not included. In 2017, scholars posited that community services, such as crisis hotlines, offered an opportunity to prevent individuals with SMI from engaging with the criminal/legal system (Abreu et al, 2017). Organizations at Intercept 0 frequently work collaboratively with law enforcement to decrease arrests and offer prearrest diversion opportunities.…”

Introduction to this double issue: Jail diversion and collaboration across the justice continuum

“…We highlight original research reports and scholarly papers related to aspects of pre‐trial diversion and other alternatives to detention or incarceration or re‐entry services for individuals with mental illness and/or SUDs. Contributions include the first formalized peer‐reviewed description of “Intercept 0”, an intercept recently added in 2017 to the Sequential Intercept Model conceptualization (Abreu, Parker, Noether, Steadman, & Case, , pp. 380–395).…”