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Senate Bill 1185 |
Senate Author: Huffman et al. |
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Effective: 6-14-13 |
House Sponsor: Thompson, Senfronia |
Senate Bill 1185 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), in cooperation with the county judge of Harris County, to establish a pilot program in Harris County to be implemented by the county judge through a criminal justice mental health service model oriented toward reducing recidivism and the frequency of arrests and incarceration among persons with mental illness in the Harris County jail. The bill sets out requirements for the model.
Senate Bill 1185 requires the county judge, in implementing the program, to ensure the program has the resources to provide mental health jail diversion services to not fewer than 200 individuals and to endeavor to serve not fewer than 500 or more than 600 individuals cumulatively each year the program operates. The bill requires DSHS and the county judge to jointly establish clear criteria for identifying a target population to be served by the program and requires the criteria to prioritize serving those with the highest risks of recidivism and the most severe mental illnesses.
Senate Bill 1185 conditions the creation of the pilot program on the commissioners court's continuing agreement to contribute to the program each year in which the program operates services for persons with mental illness equivalent in value to funding provided by the state for the program. The bill also authorizes DSHS to conduct inspections to ensure state funds appropriated for the program are used effectively. The bill requires the commissioner of DSHS to evaluate the pilot program and submit a report concerning the effect of the pilot program in reducing recidivism and the frequency of arrests and incarceration among persons with mental illness in Harris County to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officers of the standing committees of the senate and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over health and human services issues and over criminal justice issues.