The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts announced it was awarded a $550,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). The JMHCP is a competitive grant program that supports innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders who encounter the justice system.

The Illinois Courts will use the funds to continue receiving consultation from the National Center for State Courts and to support the implementation and evaluation of short-term pilot projects to divert persons with mental illnesses or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders from the traditional criminal justice system.

“We appreciate being selected for this grant award as it furthers the efforts of our Illinois Mental Health Task Force and supports our statewide work toward improving the court and community response to individuals with mental health and co-occurring disorders,” Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said. “The award notice comes at an opportune time as we are set to embark on facilitation of regional resource mapping workshops with the intent to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.”

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Community Capacity Development Office and the Office of Sex Offenders Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.