Eight states were competitively selected to participate in an innovative project, Improving Diversion Policies and Programs for Justice Involved Youth with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: An Integrated Policy Academy/Action Network Initiative. States selected for participation include: Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia. This effort, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, aims to increase the number of youth with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders diverted out of the juvenile justice system early to appropriate community-based behavioral health services, and to reduce the inappropriate and unnecessary contact of these youth with the juvenile justice system. This initiative is being coordinated by the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice, at Policy Research Associates, Inc., and the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.
