Middlesex Pilot Program To Help Divert Jailbound To Treatment

WALTHAM, MA — A new commission is working on figuring out a systematic way for police and the courts to divert those with mental illness and/or substance use conditions away from the criminal justice system and toward treatment.

The 11-member Middlesex County Restoration Center Commission – chaired by Waltham's Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian and the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health Danna Mauch – is tasked with piloting a program to create a restoration center in Middlesex County.

The center would help support current diversionary efforts across the county while also expanding the community capacity for behavioral health (mental health and substance use) treatment, according to a release from Koutoujian's office Tuesday after the first meeting concluded.

“At the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction, nearly 50 percent of those entering our custody report a history of mental illness, while almost three-quarters of all those being treated by our mental health staff have a co-occurring substance use disorder,” said Koutoujian. “Breaking the cycle of incarceration requires new, innovative approaches like the one this commission is tasked with exploring. Simply diverting individuals away from arrest is not enough – we have to divert them to care and treatment.”

Legislation creating the commission was initially sponsored by the late State Senator Ken Donnelly (D- Arlington) before he passed away last year and was subsequently taken over by State Senator Cindy Friedman, Donnelly’s successor and former chief of staff. Friedman is the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, and will serve on the Commission.

“The goal of the legislation is to create a restoration center that gives first responders a real option for diverting individuals with mental illness and substance use disorder from arrest and connecting them to appropriate treatment services,” said Friedman.

The commission hopes to develop a 24-hour, insurance-blind delivery model that can provide seamless care to individuals suffering from a behavioral health crisis, she said in a release.

"Let’s end the criminalization of mental illness and substance use disorder,” she said.

Mauch, who is co-chairing the effort, said the work begins by the team figuring out the characteristics and needs of the individuals they're hoping to serve through the pilot.

“We will examine effective models of care to advance a solution that is the best fit for people with complex needs," said Mauch.
In addition to the co-chairs and Senator Friedman, the commission includes representatives of public health and public safety agencies, as well as the judiciary and behavioral health stakeholders.

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Photo of Sherrif Koutoujian courtesy.