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InfoNet History

The InfoNet builds and expands on previous efforts to collect program information as a resource for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates working to improve outcomes when people with mental illnesses come into contact with the criminal justice system.

• Program Profiles database —From 2002 to 2006, the CSG Justice Center maintained an interactive web database of criminal justice/mental health programs. Visitors could submit profiles of their own programs, learn about programs in other communities, and post questions to their counterparts.
  
• National Survey of Mental Health Courts—From 2003 to 2005, the CSG Justice Center partnered with the National GAINS Center and NAMI to inventory general information on all known mental health courts and create a directory of court representatives.
• Survey to Register for the Mental Health Courts and Beyond conference—In 2005, the CSG Justice Center developed a detailed registration survey for attendees at a national conference of mental health courts held in Los Angeles. (This information was summarized in a publication entitled Mental Health Courts: A National Snapshot.)

Each of these registries of program information proved valuable to local stakeholders, researchers, members of the media, and national policy organizations. But no single source combined functionality, comprehensiveness, and a high level of detail. Identifying this need, the CSG Justice Center began work on the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Information Network to offer an exhaustive, easy-to-use resource that will serve as both an inventory of programs as well as a tool for peer-to-peer networking.

Unlike these earlier products, the InfoNet looks at programs in the broad context of criminal justice/mental health activity. It catalogs media articles which may describe and bring greater profile to a program; research studies, which may examine program outcomes and processes; legislation, which may provide critical funding; state-level efforts, which are designed to support and guide programs within the state; and advocacy initiatives, which support and enhance program activities. To give a visitor a broader understanding of the context within which a program works, Justice Center staff have established links between the various content items that refer to one another.    

Translating the “information network” concept into a working web site rich with data required extensive planning, data collection, and development—none of which would be possible without the advice and support of key partners and funders.

To start exploring the InfoNet, click here.