Analysis Area 1: Facilitate a cross-system data match between DHHS and county jails to identify the overlapping population of people who have behavioral health challenges who move through local criminal justice systems and identify high utilizers of both systems. CSG Justice Center staff will conduct an in-depth descriptive analysis of the matched Medicaid claims data to provide information on trends in services accessed in the community by people incarcerated in each participating jail. CSG Justice Center staff will also analyze county jail data related to demographic information, booking and release information, screening and assessment information, medications, and programming and treatment information to understand the criminal justice and behavioral health characteristics of locally incarcerated populations.
Update: In May, CSG Justice Center staff facilitated regular technical assistance meetings with both DHHS and jail stakeholders to assess and support the jail to Medicaid cross-system data match. CSG Justice Center staff revised a collection of data submission guidance documents and data sharing templates for the jail stakeholders based on feedback throughout the technical assistance meetings and test reports pulled from the jail data management system. CSG Justice Center staff continued the extensive revision of two sets of data use agreements (DUA) with the DHHS privacy information officer. CSG Justice Center staff also drafted a scope of work for a potential consultant to support the quantitative analysis. By the end of May, CSG Justice Center staff provided 9 of the 10 county jails with intensive technical assistance to support the data request, and 4 of the 10 county jails submitted administrative data to CSG Justice Center staff.
Analysis Area 2: Conduct a qualitative assessment on the availability, quality, and data collection practices of jail-based mental health and substance use disorder programming and treatment. CSG Justice Center staff will conduct interviews and focus groups with superintendents, jail staff, and contracted behavioral health providers to provide information on the identification of people with behavioral health needs, services, programming, and options within jails for care coordination to support connections to community-based care. CSG Justice Center staff will review jail policies that guide the practice of identifying, tracking, and referring people with behavioral health conditions to services. This assessment will provide qualitative data on local trends in jail populations, behavioral health needs, and participation in jail-based treatment and services.
Update: Throughout May, CSG Justice Center staff continued regular meetings and phone calls with jail superintendents and county stakeholders to identify the key staff or contracted providers who manage the jails’ behavioral health programming and learn about each jail’s data management system regarding behavioral health indicators and metrics. CSG Justice Center staff also began the initial jail assessment planning process including drafting a scheduled timeline and potential assessment questions.
Analysis Area 3: Conduct a community-based behavioral health assessment with mental health center staff, substance use disorder treatment and recovery support service providers, housing and homeless service providers, and people with lived experiences. CSG Justice Center staff will identify and geographically map current behavioral health services, crisis response, and alternatives to incarceration programs to provide an overview of availability of services in each county. This assessment will inform stakeholders on the current gaps in behavioral health resources and care coordination with criminal justice systems.
Update: Throughout May, CSG Justice Center staff conducted regular meetings with leaders, guiding associations, and additional stakeholders in the behavioral health fields to provide project updates, gain insights into available resource allocation, and identify community-based providers who are either contracted to provide services to people in the criminal justice system with behavioral health conditions or are serving populations of people who are at risk of jail incarceration due to behavioral health conditions. CSG Justice Center staff also facilitated a focus group with housing and homelessness services providers to gain insights into potential policy areas related to housing and the high utilizer population.
Analysis Area 4: Connect with criminal justice stakeholders (law enforcement, judges, defense attorney, prosecuting attorneys, and community-based corrections) to examine the extent to which law enforcement, courts, and other criminal justice stakeholders have viable, evidence-informed community resources available for people in the criminal justice system who have behavioral health and housing needs, including access to effective crisis and treatment services. CSG Justice Center staff will also identify and geographically map current alternatives to incarceration programs to provide an overview of availability of options for criminal justice agencies in each county. This assessment will inform stakeholders on the current gaps in alternatives to criminal justice system for people with behavioral health conditions.
Update: Throughout May, CSG Justice Center staff conducted interviews and meetings with criminal justice stakeholders to provide project updates, gain insights into the drivers of jail incarceration for people with behavioral health conditions, and understand current resources or alternatives to incarceration for people with behavioral health conditions. CSG Justice Center staff worked with New Hampshire’s criminal justice agency leadership, including the chief justice of superior court, the Association of County Sheriffs, the Association of County Attorneys, Public Defender’s Program, and Department of Public Safety to identify the key statewide and county-based stakeholders. Lastly, CSG Justice Center staff collected recurring themes across the interviews and documented contextual, qualitative information.
Research Monthly Status:
The CSG Justice Center research team continued to focus efforts in May on obtaining administrative data and preparing for the jail to Medicaid data match. CSG Justice Center research staff regularly facilitated meetings and correspondence with designated county jail and DHHS staff to discuss the needed steps for the initial test data pull. CSG Justice Center staff prepared technical assistance guidance in advance of each jail partner meeting and prepared technical assistance follow-up materials and action items after each jail partner meeting. CSG Justice Center research staff obtained feedback on the technical assistance materials and made revisions as needed. CSG Justice Center research staff also continued extensive negotiations and revisions to two sets of data use agreements (DUA): a DUA between each county jail and the CSG Justice Center and a three-way DUA between each county jail, DHHS, and the CSG Justice Center. CSG Justice Center staff coordinated with DHHS and CSG legal counsel and IT leadership to address technical and legal questions regarding confidentiality and data security systems. Additionally, CSG Justice Center research staff finalized the secure file transfer protocol (SFTP). Lastly, CSG Justice Center research staff successfully collected administrative data files from four county jails, completed initial review of data quality, and began building data dictionaries.
Research Monthly Log:
• 5/3: Meeting with Douglas Iosue (Superintendent, Cheshire County Jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
• 5/4: Meeting with Marci Bouchard (Program Specialist, Merrimack County Jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
• 5/9: Meeting with Superintendent Adam Cunningham (Belknap County jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
• 5/18: Meeting with Marci Bouchard (Program Specialist, Merrimack County jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
• 5/19: Meeting with Douglas Iosue (Superintendent, Cheshire County jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
• 5/19: Meeting with Andrew Chalsma (Director at Data Analytics, DHHS) to discuss revisions to the DUA.
• 5/26: Meeting with Superintendent Adam Cunningham (Belknap County jail) to discuss jail data preparation and provide TA.
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