Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

In 2020, The Behavioral Health and Justice Division (BHJD) was launched as a division of the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services after years as the Behavioral Health and Justice Related Services unit. BHJD is committed to working towards reducing justice involvement for Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges including serious mental illness. BHJD organizes its work according to the Sequential Intercept Model, identifying opportunities to intervene at various points of criminal justice involvement to divert individuals from further penetration of the system and connect them to supports and services. BHJD also aligns with Stepping Up and focuses its efforts on lowering the number of individuals with SMI and co-occurring substance use disorders in county jail, admissions to county jail, the length of stay in county jail, and recidivism, and increasing connections to treatment and support.

Vision

The DBHIDS Behavioral Health and Justice Division envisions that every Philadelphian with behavioral health challenges and criminal justice involvement will achieve health, well-being, and self-determination.

Mission

BHJD’s mission is to prevent and reduce justice involvement for Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges and to mitigate the impact of compounding disparities for Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges. BHJD seeks to empower Philadelphia — both its citizens and its systems — by providing boundary-spanning navigation services, advanced clinical assessment services for continuity of care, behavioral health literacy training, and cross-system consultation.

Goal

Help justice-involved Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges to achieve community stability, thereby reducing perpetual criminal justice system involvement.  

Behavioral Health and Justice Division: Overview

 

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DBHIDS Postdoctoral Residency in Forensic Psychology

Interested in advanced training in forensic behavioral health assessment and policy? Consider the Behavioral Health and Justice Division Postdoctoral Residency in Forensic Psychology. See our BHJD Residency brochure or contact Chris.von.zuben@phila.gov for more information. The application period is now closed.