Jail Diversion – Crisis Intervention Training

The purpose of the program is to safely and efficiently divert adults with serious mental illness from jail through crisis intervention training for law enforcement.

Primary program components are the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for law enforcement professionals and the dually located Assessment Site which includes the Crisis Intervention Center (CIC) and Virginia Hospital Center (VHC).
- CIT curriculum provides law enforcement professionals with 40 hours of training in crisis de-escalation techniques and active listening skills.
- The Assessment Site allows law enforcement to divert consumers experiencing a psychiatric crisis to either the CIC or VHC for an evaluation by Emergency Services.
- This facilitates access to services for adults with serious mental illness in lieu of arrest and transfer of custody allows law enforcement to return to service quickly.
- Significant benefits of CIT, which is a nationally recognized best practice, include increased safety for law enforcement professionals and consumers, and more efficient use of law enforcement officers? time.
- CIT is Intercept 1 of a five-component Sequential Intercept Model for seriously mentally ill adults involved with the criminal justice system at a number of junctures.
- It has been demonstrated as advantageous to divert seriously mentally ill, justice-involved individuals from jail, so they can receive mental health treatment in an appropriate setting.
- Diversions are intended for non-violent, misdemeanor-level crimes.

703-228-5150

Dallas Leamon

Adult

Diversion services are intended for those who commit non-violent, misdemeanor-level crimes.

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