Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Liaisons
The Criminal Justice/Behavioral Health Liaison Project is a community program to facilitate communication and coordination between the community, criminal justice, and behavioral health systems to achieve common goals of decriminalizing mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and substance use disorders.
Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Liaisons offer support and services to promote diversion and to provide liaison and case management services for persons with mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and substance use disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system due to an arrest. They provide referrals and linkages to behavioral health and other recovery and supportive services. In addition, they engage individuals already in jail to assist in the development of a release plan that will support their reintegration into the community. The program also engages family members of loved ones that are incarcerated to determine what supports may be available within the family structure.
Click for a list of Criminal Justice Liaisons and Case Managers.
CJLs in Action
For More Information
If you or a loved one need a referral to substance abuse treatment services, please call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789
If you feel at any time that you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Tennessee Statewide Crisis Line toll-free 24 hours, 7 days a week at 1-855-274-7471.
To learn more about this program, please contact:
David Linens
Criminal Justice Program Manager
615-571-6450
David.W.Linens@tn.gov
The Criminal Justice/Behavioral Health Liaison Project is a community program to facilitate communication and coordination between the community, criminal justice, and behavioral health systems to achieve common goals of decriminalizing mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and substance use disorders.
Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Liaisons offer support and services to promote diversion and to provide liaison and case management services for persons with mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and substance use disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system due to an arrest. They provide referrals and linkages to behavioral health and other recovery and supportive services. In addition, they engage individuals already in jail to assist in the development of a release plan that will support their reintegration into the community. The program also engages family members of loved ones that are incarcerated to determine what supports may be available within the family structure.
Click for a list of Criminal Justice Liaisons and Case Managers.