Austin 1 of 10 selected for criminal justice mental health program

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday, Austin’s Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) announced it was selected as a partner for the Criminal Justice Mental Health Learning Site Program.

DACC said the program was meant to help improve outcomes for people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system.

“The Program is built around sharing best practices and successful strategies to ensure that advancements made by these learning sites can be replicated and scaled across the country,” DACC said.

According to the City of Austin, the program offers free training, resources and support to communities wanting to improve outcomes or enhance current responses for people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system. 

Austin was one of only 10 communities selected to partake in the program, according to the city.

“This Program is an essential step towards building a more equitable and compassionate criminal justice system that addresses the underlying mental health issues of the people involved, ultimately leading to better outcomes for individuals and communities as a whole,” DACC said in a statement.