The Atlantic and Cape May county prosecutor’s offices will split a $1.3 million award to support the agencies' mental health diversion programs.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office first developed a Mental Health Court program in 2023, following the success of its At-Risk Initiative for repeat quality-of-life crime offenders.
The program reaches individuals facing felony criminal charges whose serious persistent mental illness was the driving force in their criminality. The goal is to identify appropriate individuals with certain indictable charges who agree to comply with supervised treatment in exchange for diversion contingent upon compliance with strict conditions that are set to address the needs of the specific individual.
In exchange for accepting and complying with treatment for significant diagnoses mental illnesses, the Prosecutor's Office may provide for downgrades and/or dismissal of eligible criminal charges.
A 2024 statute has since brought the initiative statewide.
The new funding will enable the offices to fund evaluations, treatment and case management of participants by qualified outside organizations, as well as internal components and outreach.
“Every day we see evidence of the strong connection between mental illness and crime,” Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said. “It is a connection that incarceration alone cannot break. This program gives certain defendants an opportunity at community-based treatment and case management while protecting public safety and respecting victims’ rights. We thank the Attorney General’s Office for recognizing the work that we have been doing in Atlantic County without any funding whatsoever. Now, with this grant, we will have a program that is among the best in the country at tackling mental illness in the criminal justice system.”
Reynolds also thanked the Vicinage One Courts and Offices of the Public Defender, as well as Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland and his staff for their partnership on the grant application.
Not all defendants and offenses are eligible for this program, which may lead to additional prosecution and even imprisonment should defendants re-offend or fail to take advantage of the opportunities presented.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Mental Health Diversion and other programs.
