Presiding Judge Jason Lamb announced that the 12th Judicial Circuit is the recipient of a grant to host training to improve criminal justice responses for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. The grant was awarded by the Justice Reinvestment Executive Oversight Council through the Missouri Department of Corrections. The Council was authorized by Governor Mike Parson and guides Justice Reinvestment efforts in Missouri.

“We are grateful to the Council for approving the funding and to the Governor for the commitment to Justice Reinvestment in Missouri,” said Lamb. “This project is the result of collaboration by our local criminal justice stakeholders and builds on the good work within our circuit over the years with Treatment Courts and Crisis Intervention Team training for law enforcement officers. By continually improving our responses to individual circumstances we increase the faith and confidence that all people can have in the criminal justice system.”

The training will use the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) to aid in the identification of resources, gaps and barriers at different stages throughout the criminal justice system including community services, law enforcement, initial court hearings, jails, courts, re-entry and community corrections. The project will provide for the training of approximately 20 professionals and stakeholders, including judges, law enforcement officers, and community mental health liaisons, both locally and from around the state.