Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) and Strategic Planning
Highlighted Resources
The Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Produced By: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Description: This webpage provides information about the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) and how it can help communities identify resources and gaps in services at each intercept and develop local strategic action plans. The SIM mapping process brings together leaders and different agencies and systems to work together to identify strategies to divert people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders away from the justice system into treatment.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); diversion
The Sequential Intercept Model: Advancing Community-based Solutions for Justice-involved People with Mental and Substance Use Disorders
Produced By: SAMSHA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation
Description: This brochure describes the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM), its use as a strategic planning tool, key issues at each intercept, and best practices across the intercepts.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Other Resources
Directory
I. Using the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
I. Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Produced By: Policy Research Associates (PRA)
Supported By: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Description: This resource provides a series of recommendations for jails and prisons releasing individuals with complex mental health needs, substance use disorders, and medical and housing vulnerabilities to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendations discussed in this brief are organized across the Sequential Intercept Model, a conceptual model to inform community-based responses to the involvement of people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the criminal justice system.
Keywords: COVID-19; Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Produced By: Safety and Justice Challenge
Description: This blog post discusses the work Yakima County (WA) is implementing to improve their criminal justice system. Yakima County hosted a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) workshop to assess available resources, identify gaps, and plan for community change in the intersection of behavioral health and the criminal justice system. This blog post discusses the value Yakima County found in implementing a SIM workshop.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Using the Sequential Intercept Model to Guide Local Reform: An Innovation Fund Case Study (2018)
Produced By: Urban Institute
Description: This case study discusses how three communities used the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) for their justice reform efforts. It describes what the SIM is, how communities can use the SIM, and lessons learned.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); criminal justice reform
Produced By: Lore Joplin
Supported By: National Institute of Corrections
Description: This resource discusses why it is important to map the criminal justice system, the criminal justice mapping process and the Affordable Care Act, and the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM).
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
In Focus: Conducting a Comprehensive Process Analysis
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative
Description: This brief focuses on conducting a comprehensive process analysis, or a step-by-step examination of how people who have serious mental illnesses (SMI) move through a county’s criminal justice and behavioral health systems. A process analysis can help counties determine appropriate pathways for people with SMI, which may include diversion from jail to treatment in the community, a clinical assessment by a licensed mental health professional during or shortly after jail booking, pretrial supervision conditions, post-sentence supervision conditions, and more. The process analysis will also help counties identify what resources currently exist at the point of law enforcement contact, in jails, and in the community, and identify where there may be treatment and service gaps across systems.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); strategic planning
The Legislative Primer Series for Front End Justice: Mental Health (2018)
Produced By: National Conference of State Legislatures
Description: This report examines ways in which states can support diverting appropriate individuals with mental illness away from the criminal justice system entirely and looks at correctional interventions that can hold offenders accountable while also connecting them to treatment and services designed to reduce recidivism. This report connects legislators to the tools they need to consider cost effective policies that respond to mental health issues and enhance public safety.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); diversion
Produced By: Policy Research, Inc.
Supported By: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Description: Network Sites as a part of the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) developed formal implementation plans containing multiple jail reduction strategies. Many sites included strategies that focused on the over-incarceration of individuals with behavioral health needs. This report examines Network Sites’ behavioral health strategies, challenges, and successes as the initiative enters its 5-year mark.
Keywords: crisis response; crisis stabilization center; Crisis Intervention Team (CIT); collaboration; jail; Sequential Intercept Model (SIM)
Partnering with the Justice System to Improve Outcomes in Coordinated Specialty Care (2018)
Produced By: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
Supported By: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Vera Institute of Justice; Specialized Treatment in Early Psychosis (STEP)
Description: Young people experiencing a first episode of psychosis are highly likely to interact with the justice system, which often leads to longer duration of untreated psychosis and poorer outcomes compared to those without justice involvement. The recent expansion of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) programs in the United States offers an opportunity to reduce justice system involvement, coordinate services and support people in the early stages of psychosis who are already involved in the justice system, and facilitate early detection at various points in the justice system. This webinar provides an overview of the prevalence of justice system involvement among CSC program participants, describes ways in which CSC programs can better support these participants and describes strategies for outreach and partnering effectively with the criminal justice system.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping; mental health; psychosis
Embedding Clinicians in the Criminal Justice System (2022)
Produced By: The Council of State Governments Justice Center
Description: Hiring clinicians to work with criminal justice agencies throughout the different intercepts in the justice system is one way that jurisdictions are working to improve their responses to people with mental health needs. Using the Sequential Intercept Model as the starting point for identifying where clinicians can be employed, this brief highlights ways that embedded clinicians can support mental health and criminal justice collaborations. It also provides specific examples of Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grantees successfully implementing clinician-embedded programs throughout the criminal justice system.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); clinicians; mental health; collaboration
Data Collection Across the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM): Essential Measures (2019)
Produced By: SAMSHA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation
Description: This manual provides a starting place for jurisdictions looking to use data to better understand and improve the outcomes of people with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Keywords: Data; sequential intercept model (SIM)
II. Strategic Planning
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative: National Association of Counties; Council of State Governments Justice Center; American Psychiatric Association Foundation
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Description: This resource offers six questions counties need to ask to assess their community's existing efforts to reduce the number of people with mental health conditions in jail, including why it matters and what it looks like for each question. The authors also offer reasons on why counties may not be seeing a reduction of individuals with mental health conditions in their jails. They also provide examples of practices implemented in communities.
Keywords: diversion; strategic planning
County Elected Officials' Guide to the Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative: National Association of Counties; Council of State Governments Justice Center; American Psychiatric Association Foundation
Description: This guide is designed to complement the "Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask" report by providing context around the importance of each of the six questions and suggesting questions for county elected officials to ask of key stakeholders in their county.
Keywords: strategic planning; collaboration; diversion
Six Questions Case Studies (2018)
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative: National Association of Counties; Council of State Governments Justice Center; American Psychiatric Association Foundation
Description: The Stepping Up Six Questions Case Studies resource serves as a quick reference to the counties and strategies highlighted in the Stepping Up Initiative. It provides examples of each question in action by highlighting case studies.
Keywords: strategic planning; collaboration; diversion
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative: National Association of Counties, American Psychiatric Association, Council of State Governments
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Description: This handbook is designed to complement the Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask (Six Questions) framework as a step-by-step facilitation guide for project coordinators. For each of the framework’s six questions, this handbook provides: (1) a summary of the question and its related objectives for the planning team, (2) facilitation tips to assist the project coordinator in managing the planning process, and (3) facilitation exercises designed to achieve objectives and establish an efficient process for capturing the work of the planning team.
Keywords: diversion; strategic planning
Building and Engaging Community Power: The Importance of Community Engagement (2021) - Webinar
Produced By: The Council of State Governments Justice Center; University of Cincinnati
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Description: Meaningful engagement with community members throughout planning and implementation can position stakeholders to build strong relationships with the people they serve and ensure that new initiatives are grounded in community needs and culture in order to produce successful outcomes. During this session, speakers from across the country discuss different strategies for community engagement, including identifying whom to engage and how.
Keywords: Community engagement; strategic planning
Produced By: The Council of State Governments Justice Center; University of Cincinnati
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Description: During this breakout session, the featured communities discuss the steps they have taken to build more comprehensive and coordinated behavioral health crisis systems. Specifically, sites share the successes and challenges of their planning and implementation process, including how they engaged key stakeholders; how they conducted asset mapping to understand the needs of their local community; the type of data they used to inform their planning and tracking of initial outcomes; and the strategies they have used to sustain these services over time, including engaging more sustainable funding.
Keywords: Strategic planning
In Focus: Prioritizing Policy, Practice, and Funding Improvements
Produced By: Stepping Up Initiative
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Description: This brief guides counties through the process of defining the most important policy, practice, and funding changes to help reduce the number of people in jails who have serious mental illnesses (SMI). In order to have the greatest possible impact on the prevalence of SMI in jails, system-level changes should address one or more of Stepping Up’s four key measures: (1) the number of people booked into jail who have SMI; (2) their average length of stay in jail; (3) how many people are connected to treatment and services; and (4) their recidivism rates.
Keywords: Strategic planning
Produced By: National Association of Counties
Description: This webinar highlights policies, practices and programs that counties have implemented along four key measures: the number of people with mental illnesses booked into their jail, the length of stay of people with mental illnesses, connections to treatment and recidivism.
Keywords: Sequential Intercept Model (SIM); strategic planning
Franklin County, Ohio: A County Justice and Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Project (2015)
Produced By: Council of State Governments Justice Center
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance; Jacob & Valeria Langeloth Foundation
Description: This report discusses the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center's review of Franklin County (OH) and their challenges of the large number of people with mental health conditions cycling in and out of jail. It discusses CSG's methodology, findings, and recommendations.
Keywords: Crisis services; Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training; screening and assessment; strategic planning
Produced By: Council of State Governments Justice Center
Supported By: Bureau of Justice Assistance; the van Ameringen Foundation
Description: The CSG Justice Center partnered with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee to conduct a statewide policy scan. The purpose of the scan was to identify opportunities for the state to help counties continue to reduce the number of people with SMI in local criminal justice systems—especially county jails. CSG Justice Center staff made recommendations rooted in research and best practices with proposed action items. These recommendations focus on three priority areas: (1) improving local capacity to collect data and share information, (2) increasing local diversion as early as possible, and (3) increasing local availability of and connections to housing.
Keywords: jails; assessment; Stepping Up; serious mental illness; collaboration