Methodology
Justice Center staff are collecting data for each of the InfoNet’s six categories of information using a variety of methods.
Program Surveys: With support from key partners, Justice Center staff are surveying programs that span the criminal justice continuum. Staff work with experts and partner organizations to draft surveys, which are then administered in a “pilot test” to program representatives and revised accordingly. Surveys of law enforcement- and court-based programs are currently available, and others will be made available soon.
Survey results are self-reported and not verified.
» Click here to complete a law enforcement program survey.
» Click here to complete a courts program survey.
Research Studies: Justice Center staff are cataloguing recent research on the high numbers of people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system and effective responses to this problem. Research often examines specific programs that also have entries in the database.
Media Articles: Justice Center staff have integrated existing media libraries into the InfoNet, which provides links to current and archived media articles on criminal justice/mental health issues. As with research, these articles often discuss programs highlighted in the database.
Advocacy Initiatives: Partnering with NAMI, the National Mental Health Association, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Justice Center staff are developing surveys for advocates. These surveys will complement the Advocacy Handbook, a joint effort among these organizations to provide advocates with practical strategies for developing partnerships to promote improved responses to people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system.
Statewide Coordinating Activities: Justice Center staff are compiling case studies of states in which an agency or organization is tasked with promoting and sustaining local programs within the state.
Legislation: Justice Center staff are compiling summaries of legislation that supports or creates funding for criminal justice/mental activities.