Analysis Area 1: Facilitate a cross-system data match between DHHS and county jails to identify the overlapping population of people who have behavioral health challenges who move through local criminal justice systems and identify high utilizers of both systems. CSG Justice Center staff will conduct an in-depth descriptive analysis of the matched Medicaid claims data to provide information on trends in services accessed in the community by people incarcerated in each participating jail. CSG Justice Center staff will also analyze county jail data related to demographic information, booking and release information, screening and assessment information, medications, and programming and treatment information to understand the criminal justice and behavioral health characteristics of locally incarcerated populations.
Update: In November, CSG Justice Center staff presented to the commission the initial analysis of the jail administrative data. CSG Justice Center staff worked with DHHS to support the Medicaid/jail administrative matching process. The matched data were then handed over to CSG Justice Center staff for clean-up and analysis. CSG Justice Center staff met regularly with DHHS data analysts to answer questions about the analysis plan.
Analysis Area 2: Conduct a qualitative assessment on the availability, quality, and data collection practices of jail-based mental health and substance use disorder programming and treatment. CSG Justice Center staff will conduct interviews and focus groups with superintendents, jail staff, and contracted behavioral health providers to provide information on the identification of people with behavioral health needs, services, programming, and options within jails for care coordination to support connections to community-based care. CSG Justice Center staff will review jail policies that guide the practice of identifying, tracking, and referring people with behavioral health conditions to services. This assessment will provide qualitative data on local trends in jail populations, behavioral health needs, and participation in jail-based treatment and services.
Update: CSG Justice Center staff presented to the commission the results of the initial qualitative jail assessments in its early November presentation. CSG Justice Center staff will continue to analyze data from the jails to inform findings from the jail assessment process. Key findings from the assessment included statewide variations in practice, resources, and staffing; inconsistent mental health and substance use screening and referral practices; and wide variations and availability of reentry programming.
Analysis Area 3: Conduct a community-based behavioral health assessment with mental health center staff, substance use disorder treatment and recovery support service providers, housing and homeless service providers, and people with lived experiences. CSG Justice Center staff will identify and geographically map current behavioral health services, crisis response, and alternatives to incarceration programs to provide an overview of availability of services in each county. This assessment will inform stakeholders on the current gaps in behavioral health resources and care coordination with criminal justice systems.
Update: CSG Justice Center staff presented to the commission the initial findings from Policy Research Associates (PRA) staff’s assessment of community mental health and substance use treatment providers, including information gathered from five virtual focus groups with treatment staff, mobile crisis staff, recovery organization leadership, and peer support staff. Key findings from the assessment included statewide variations in practice, resources, and staffing and community mental health waitlist times from several weeks to months due to staffing shortages.
Analysis Area 4: Connect with criminal justice stakeholders (law enforcement, judges, defense attorney, prosecuting attorneys, and community-based corrections) to examine the extent to which law enforcement, courts, and other criminal justice stakeholders have viable, evidence-informed community resources available for people in the criminal justice system who have behavioral health and housing needs, including access to effective crisis and treatment services. CSG Justice Center staff will also identify and geographically map current alternatives to incarceration programs to provide an overview of availability of options for criminal justice agencies in each county. This assessment will inform stakeholders on the current gaps in alternatives to criminal justice system for people with behavioral health conditions.
Update: CSG Justice Center staff met with various stakeholders, including the Stafford County superintendent, the Stafford County attorney, and the chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court, to discuss preliminary findings and determine how those findings resonated with their experience regarding resource availability in the community.
Research Monthly Status:
Research staff met with DHHS several times to ensure the correct data files were prepared for the Medicaid analysis. Research staff received Medicaid data and began to perform data cleaning and analysis.
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