This publication focusing on community corrections is sixth in a series on rural community solutions to address substance abuse disorder as part of the Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project’s implementation of the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM).
This brief examines how three Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic (RROE) project sites implement services to assist those with mental health disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs) who have been released from jail or prison and are currently under supervision to help them maintain treatment and reduce recidivism. This series explores how RROE sites’ efforts aligned at each point of the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) and the public safety/public health partnerships that strengthened these efforts. Intercept 5 of the SIM focuses on engaging with individuals under community corrections supervision with mental health issues or SUDs. Activities during this intercept work to strengthen the knowledge and ability of community corrections officers to serve people with behavioral health issues and support partnerships between criminal justice agencies and community-based treatment services. Some key elements of Intercept 5 include mental health training for community corrections officers, specialized caseloads focused on people with mental health issues and SUDs, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and access to recovery supports. The RROE project, co-funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the State Justice Institute, supported 21 rural sites across the country to develop or enhance efforts to strengthen epidemiologic surveillance and public health data infrastructure; implement effective community-level opioid overdose prevention activities; and establish or enhance public safety, public health, and behavioral health collaborations. The purpose of the SIM is to help communities identify gaps in services at each of the six intercepts. The goal is to encourage collaboration among community leaders and stakeholders to work together to divert people with behavioral health issues away from the justice system and into a network of treatment alternatives.