Keeping people out of the system

Going to jail, even for one day, can disrupt people’s lives and have compounding impacts on them and their families. Lessening the impacts of the system’s reach on people and avoiding imprisoning communities requires keeping people out of the legal system. Keeping people out of the system requires investing in resources that prevent people from having any police contact while also dismantling core police practices that funnel individuals into the legal system revolving door. Learn more about our projects dedicated to keeping people out of the legal system below.
Featured Projects
Studying Alternatives to Jail for People in Crisis
While we envision a future where behavioral health professionals exclusively respond to crisis events in the community, in many communities, police are mostly responsible for leading this work. Keeping people out of the system whenever possible requires, at minimum, police have alternatives to arrest and other places to take people other than jail. This project considers how police-led deflection from jail and to local Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs), which provide short-term care to people in crisis, can improve individual’s access to treatment and reduce jail stays. This project also investigates when, why, and for whom police most often use their power to deflect individuals to these community-based alternatives to arrest.
Studying Solutions to Provide People Care after Crisis
Keeping individuals out of the system overtime requires individuals who experience crisis receive ongoing aftercare; however, people who receive care from CSUs rarely engage with aftercare services. This project evaluates the impacts of a mobile and technology-assisted aftercare program for individuals who recently experienced a crisis and a police referral to a CSU. It investigates how CSU aftercare programs can impact arrest rates, and ultimately the number of people who remain deflected from the system altogether.
Featured Resources
If Police Must Lead the Work, Pushing Police-Led Deflection Further
Understanding Why People Decline Police Deflections
If Police Must Lead the Work, How Police Can Educate Communities on its Importance
Care after Crisis Report
Related Projects
Reducing Systematic Racism in Health Systems, Improving Healthcare Access, and Wellbeing
Taking a Closer Look at Harris County’s Holistic Care Center as an Alternative for Police
Related Resources
Taking a Stand: Differentiating Deflection from Diversion
Research Recap: Police-Led Deflection
Learning from Charleston's Deflection Model
Learning from Pima County's Deflection Model
Learning from Harris County's Deflection Model
Pima County's No Wrong Door Approach to People in Crisis
Implementing Alternatives for Police
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