Pinellas County, Florida
Reducing Criminal Justice Contacts of Chronic Law Enforcement and Mental Health Consumers through Case Management and Intervention
Project Overview
The SPI developed a Mental Health Unit (MHU) within the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PSCO). The MHU unit consisted of two mental health clinicians (Navigators) and up to four certified law enforcement deputies. The strategy allowed MHU deputies to coordinate a quasi-mobile crisis response with the Navigators. The Navigators regularly reviewed PCSO calls for service and record management systems to determine if specific subjects of mental health calls could benefit from additional follow-up or if a known subject has had recent PCSO contact. Navigators also provided intensive case management to PCSO’s identified consumers to help ensure that their mental and behavioral health needs were met in an effort to reduce their subsequent law enforcement contacts.
Methods and Findings
Research Design
This project evaluation included process evaluation methods that were designed to describe the activities of and individuals served by the Pinellas County Sherriff’s Office (PCSO) Mental Health Unit (MHU), and it also included outcome evaluation methods designed to assess the effectiveness of the MHU.
Findings
- On average, participants significantly reduced their average number of involuntary commitments following their first contact with the MHU. Whereas these 17 individuals averaged 3.29 involuntary commitments in the nine months prior to their first MHU involvement, they averaged only 0.82 involuntary commitments over the nine months following their initiation with the MHU.
