Committee advances bill to expand behavioral-health screenings for people arrested in county jails The committee voted to report House Bill 3,345 out as a 'do pass' to allow certified providers to screen people in county jails for behavioral-health and substance-use needs on misdemeanor as well as felony charges, with the Department of Mental Health absorbing contracted screening costs.

A new bill aims to revolutionize how behavioral health screenings are conducted in county jails, extending critical support to those facing misdemeanor charges.

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#OK #CriminalJusticeReform #CitizenPortal #MentalHealthReform #SubstanceUseDiversion

Senate hearing spotlights Treatment Court Expansion Act amid Rikers, capacity and plea debates A New York State Senate hearing on the Treatment Court Expansion Act drew judges, court administrators, clinicians, advocates and people with lived experience to debate expanding diversion for people with mental illness and substance use disorders, resource gaps across the state and whether judges should require guilty pleas before participation.

New York lawmakers are grappling with a pivotal decision: should mental health issues be treated as public health challenges rather than criminal justice failures?

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#NY #MentalHealthReform #CitizenPortal #NewYorkCourts #PublicHealthChallenges #SubstanceUseDiversion