Maricopa County Sequential Intercept Model

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

In 2019, Maricopa County convened a project team comprised of 80 internal and external justice system experts to review and update their Sequential Intercept Model (SIM). The SIM is a visual conceptual planning tool that represents different stages where individuals with mental illnesses can be diverted out of the justice system and into treatment. The purpose of the project was to inform and improve cross-system collaborations and reduce justice involvement of individuals with mental illness and co-occurring behavioral health conditions. This project was championed by Maricopa County’s Mental Health Steering Committee, whose mission is to improve the justice system’s response to those individuals by promoting community services as appropriate alternatives. The outcomes of this project include 300+ identified pain points, 84 opportunities, and 8 high-impact solutions, 2 of which are currently in implementation. Opportunities include methods to improve communication and collaboration among stakeholders, increase access to services, and to make a more trauma-informed experience for individuals with mental illness moving through the justice system. Solutions in implementation are 1) a new Mental Health Unit to coordinate communication and help individuals navigate the justice system, and 2) creation of a Mental Health Court Model to bring multiple courts together with data sharing.