As communities across the nation struggle to divert individuals with behavioral health challenges from jails and emergency rooms and into the help they really need, there are inspiring examples that show progress made possible.

Experience Based Practices for criminal justice reform provide hope and direction for better addressing the challenge of individuals with mental illness languishing in local jails across the country. First-hand accounts about the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health were the focus of a recent national conference presented by the Institute for Behavioral Healthcare Improvement.