Indiana Consortium For Mental Health
Services Research
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

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Abstract

Reprint # 60: MANAGING A FORENSIC DIVERSION PROGRAM IN THE PES

Services to arrested persons are frequently left to the Psychiatric Emergency Service (PES) by default. Some such services have taken a proactive stance so as to minimize unexpected visits by persons charged with a crime or to maximize options when those under arrest are brought to the PES. Over time, these services have evolved as the mentally ill have become more common within the inmate population. This paper reports on the organization and success rates of one such service which manages a forensic diversion program that has become a model of community collaborative service between law enforcement, the prosecutor's office, public defenders, various community providers, and a mental health center PES.