A Jail Diversion Program for Veterans with Co-Occuring Disorders: MISSION - DIRECT VET

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, in partnership with investigators from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Veterans Administration, and numerous state agencies, have developed MISSION DIRECT VET, a court-based jail diversion program with a priority population of veterans. Goals of this SAMHSA-funded program include identifying criminal defendants who are veterans with mental illness and substance use disorders prior to sentencing, proposing service and treatment option as alternatives to incarceration, and facilitating service coordination between treatment providers and the criminal justice system. This Issue Brief describes this initiative