Resources: Crisis Response

Offers free and confidential emotional support to people experiencing suicidal crisis or emotional distress through a national network of local crisis centers. Dial 988, text 988, or chat online to get help. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Provides training and technical assistance to help meet the needs of state, local, and tribal criminal justice practitioners and agencies on a variety of justice topics including adjudication, corrections, crime prevention, justice information sharing, law enforcement, mental health, substance use, tribal justice, and capacity-building.

Provides training and technical assistance to communities to enhance their ability to respond to individuals in the criminal justice system with mental and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. Focuses on developing and implementing best practices and policies designed to divert people from the criminal justice system and connect them to treatment and other support services.

Provides training and technical assistance to jurisdictions to develop, implement, and expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support individuals impacted by the use and misuse of opioids, stimulants, and other substances. Promotes access to treatment and recovery services in the criminal justice system, data collection and sharing, leveraging resources and funding, and efforts to prevent substance misuse.

Discusses results of the Rural Justice Survey, which documents the priorities of rural communities related to criminal justice and public safety and the challenges these communities face in accessing federal funding to address these issues. Offers recommendations to make federal funding, technical assistance, and training programs more available and relevant to rural stakeholders, including justice and public safety practitioners, healthcare providers, public health officials, treatment providers, victim advocates, and others. Highlights needs and interventions in areas such as behavioral health, substance use, crisis intervention, supportive services, and others.

Offers a variety of resources and information to jurisdictions seeking to reduce criminal justice involvement and improve outcomes for individuals with mental health and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. Supports the implementation of best practices, policies, and strategies at every point in the criminal justice system, from pre-arrest through reentry. Provides targeted resources to BJA's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health program grantees and supports other communities in their efforts to enhance crisis responses, connect individuals to treatment and services, and improve public safety.

Provides training, resources, and technical assistance to improve law enforcement and community responses to individuals with behavioral health conditions or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Supports the development of police-mental health collaborations designed to help officers safely and effectively to people with behavioral health needs and increase their access to services.

Shares strategies to help small or rural law enforcement agencies provide mental health training for their officers. Discusses some challenges small and rural law enforcement agencies can experience when training to provide mental health training.

Provides training and technical assistance to help state administering agencies (SAAs) and local Criminal Justice Planning Boards (CJPBs) administer Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) grant awards to strengthen state and local criminal justice systems. Offers resources and guidance in a range of areas related to the management and effective use of Byrne JAG funding to address criminal justice and public safety needs.

Offers free and confidential mental health support to mothers and families before, during, and after pregnancy. Provides immediate support, information, and resources for mothers with perinatal depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues from licensed and certified counselors, as well as referral to local providers if additional care or support is needed. Call or text 1-833-852-6262 to get help. Service is available in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, 7 a week.

Provides resources to support law enforcement agencies in developing police – mental health collaboration (PMHC) programs in which they partner with mental health providers and other community stakeholders to safely and effectively respond to people with mental illness and increase access to services. Offers a PMHC self-assessment tool and modules on key aspects of designing, implementing, and managing a PMHC program that is tailored to meet the unique needs of individual communities.

Provides an overview of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) efforts to address the challenges incarcerated and justice system-involved individuals face when attempting to seek treatment for and recover from mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD). Seeks to increase access to behavioral health services, minimize costs, and other consequences related to the unnecessary and repetitive incarceration of people with behavioral health issues. Discusses strategies to identify individuals with mental illness and SUD, implement diversion programs, enhance reentry services, evidence-based practices, screening and assessments, and more.

Shares national guidelines for behavioral health crisis care best practice toolkit from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a 2020 technical assistance paper series focused on crisis services. Offers information to support mental health authorities, agency administrators, service providers, and other state and local leaders in the design, development, implementation, and quality improvement of behavioral health crisis systems. Details components of crisis services and best practices, along with tools for implementing and evaluating care that aligns with national guidelines. Addresses key issues related to crisis services, including homelessness, technology advances, substance use, legal issues, financing crisis care, diverse populations, children and adolescents, rural and frontier areas, and the role of law enforcement.

Directory of behavioral health treatment locator tools, hotlines for suicide prevention, treatment referral services, assistance for veterans in crisis, and more. Includes links to resources and services related to substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery; mental illness; medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD); harm reduction; opioid overdose; crisis care; and suicide prevention.

Offers a free and confidential information service, also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service, that can provide referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations for individuals and family members looking for help with mental health and/or substance use disorder (SUD). Call 1-800-662-4375 or TTY at 1-800-487-4889 or text your ZIP code to 435748 to get help. Service is available in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, 7 a week, 365 days a year.

Offers free, confidential, and anonymous support to Native American individuals who are victims of domestic and sexual violence and their family members. Provides immediate support, crisis intervention, and other culturally appropriate information and services. Call or text 1-844-762-8483 to get help. An online chat option is also available on the program website. Service is available 24 hours a day, 7 a week.

Outlines strategies, technologies, and successful models rural communities can adapt to support crisis response and pre-arrest diversion for individuals with mental health and substance use issues in their communities.

Offers free and confidential support for veterans and others in crisis. Dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online to get help. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.