Press Releases
Carter Announces Federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant for Chatham County
Washington,
September 24, 2019
Congressman Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-Ga.) today announced a grant of $399,998 to Chatham County from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program.
According to the DOJ, the program supports cross-system collaboration to improve responses and outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses (MI) or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the justice system. This program supports officer and public safety and violence reduction through social service and other partnerships that will enhance and increase law enforcement responses to people with MI and CMISA. "This grant will work to safely reduce the prevalence of low risk individuals with mental illnesses or substance abuse in local jails," said Carter. "We do a disservice to those who are mentally ill if they are put in jail and it's not where they are meant to be. By providing services to address mental illness instead of just incarceration, we're not only helping the individual, we're also ensuring the community is a safer place for all of us, including our law enforcement officers. This has been a top priority for our local law enforcement community and I applaud the great work that has been going on. I'm glad the federal government is stepping in today to assist." The DOJ directs the recipient to develop a statewide coordinated approach to safely reduce the prevalence of low risk individuals with MI and CMISA in local jails. |