FFY2022/23 - JAG Crisis Intervention - State of Tennessee

The State of Tennessee, Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP) has worked with its stakeholder board to identify three areas of priority for the FY 2022 - 2023 Byrne SCIP funds as follows: Behavioral Health Deflection for Those at Risk to Themselves or Others, Specialized Court-based Programs, and Community Violence Intervention Programs.

In determining the priority areas, the board examined several types of programs which it felt would meet the needs of communities across the state and that relied on evidence-based components. At their request, OCJP developed program abstracts which cover multiple SCIP priority areas due to the recognition that comprehensive evidence-based practices funded under SCIP should all have a goal of lessening the prevalence of gun violence in communities by implementing specialty programs which divert, deflect, or educate individuals who impact the level of violence found within communities.

Behavioral Health Deflection: The strategy of this program area is to identify individuals who have substance use or mental health issues and deflect them to community-based treatment and services as an alternative to making an arrest or taking no action. With successful deflection, projects funded under this program can reduce an individual’s likelihood to be involved in the criminal justice system and engage in gun violence due to substance use or mental health issues by providing treatment resources which are  associated with a higher level of criminogenic risk.

Juvenile Court - Family Engagement Programs: The strategy of this program area is to identify and aid youths and their families during the prepetition stage or just after an initial juvenile petition is filed. With successful intervention at this stage, the Juvenile Court - Family Engagement Programs can prevent traumatic family separations and provide crucial support and services when people need them the most.
The program takes referrals from several different agencies and organizations, including schools, local police departments, community mental health agencies, juvenile court, and other community based referral sources. The idea is to catch problems before the child or their family enter crisis and provide them with evidence-based services that meets their individual needs, thus reducing gun related crime in the future.

Education and Training: The strategy of this program area is to identify education and training which align with the SCIP priority areas of: Behavioral Health Deflection, Specialized Court-based programs, and Community Violence Intervention. Under this program area education and training will be identified and can be provided to both professionals who work within the SCIP priority areas as well as non-practitioners or at-risk individuals who would benefit from education / training topics within the SCIP priority areas with the goal of preventing or reducing crime and violence, with a particular focus on gun violence and the programs and initiatives that target the risk factors that are likely to lead to this kind of violence.