Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Liaison

Centerstone’s Criminal Justice Program works to bridge the gap between the criminal justice system and mental/behavioral health system. We work with adults who are incarcerated or at risk of incarceration due to their mental illness and/or substance use. We currently have two grants:

The Criminal Justice Liaison Grant (CJLs and CJCMs): Staff in the CJL grant work directly with the local jails, court systems, and law enforcement to facilitate services for individuals with serious mental illness, co-occurring disorders, or substance abuse disorders who are incarcerated or at risk of incarceration. CJLs work with incarcerated clients to assist with successful reentry into the community. CJCMs work with clients in the community who require short-term intensive case management interventions to reduce likelihood of recidivism. Click here for more information.

The TN Recovery Oriented Compliance Strategy Grant (Tn-Rocs): The Tn-Rocs staff work with their assigned judicial systems to assess, recommend, and facilitate court ordered A&D treatment. Tn-Rocs was designed for individuals who struggle a cycle of addiction, mental health symptoms, and recidivism. This grant calls for client accountability to the judicial court system which involves following all recommendations based on the treatment plan, meeting with the presiding Judge, weekly treatment team meetings, as well as following all requirements of probation, parole, or community corrections.

Criminal Justice Staff focus on:

• Identifying community resources and linking clients to those resources
• Providing advocacy for criminal justice involved clients
• Helping clients communicate with their attorney, probation/parole officers
• Referral to appropriate level of A&D treatment
• Providing support to family member of justice involved clients to encourage strong support systems
• Collaborating with community partners to locate stable housing and recovery living
• Assisting with cost of mental health medications after incarceration
• Overcoming barriers to reentering the community and avoiding future interaction with the legal system

We cover 16 counties including: Dickson, Montgomery, Stewart, Houston, Humphreys, Decatur, Bedford, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Perry, and Wayne.

Grant funded by Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

For more information contact:
Lee Wambles | Criminal Justice Program Manager
Phone: (931) 494-6047
Email: Lee.Wambles@centerstone.org