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Planning, Policy, and Development Unit
The Policy, Planning, and Development unit within BHJD oversees the Division’s strategic planning, policy, and legislative research, data collection, analysis, quality improvement efforts, program development, and administrative support functions. The unit contains the Business Intelligence Team (BIT), Stepping Up Team, Policy, Planning, and Development Team, and Administrative Support Team. These teams serve as the strategic, technical, and administrative infrastructure for the Clinical Forensic and Criminal Justice Programming units.
Stepping Up is a national data-driven initiative aimed at reducing the number of people with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders in local jails. Philadelphia became a Stepping Up County through a City Council Resolution passed by unanimous vote in February 2018. BHJD supports Stepping Up with a dedicated Stepping Up Supervisor and Data Coordinator who coordinate with the Managing Director’s Office of Criminal Justice (MDOCJ) to improve policies and practices to reduce justice involvement for Philadelphian’s with behavioral health challenges.
The Behavioral Health and Justice Division operationalized its mission of ensuring equal opportunities for justice involved Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges by adopting the Stepping Up metrics as its own key performance indicators (KPIs):
- Reduce the average daily jail population for people with a serious mental illness within Philadelphia’s County jails (PDP)
- Reduce the number of people with a serious mental illness admitted to PDP
- Reduce the length of stay in PDP for people with a serious mental illness
- Increase the number of people with a serious mental illness connected to treatment after release
- Reduce recidivism for people with a serious mental illness released from PDP
Business Intelligence Team serves BHJD by maintaining the data collection infrastructure and information support to enable data-informed decision-making at the program and division level. BIT works with BHJD programs and initiatives to develop and refine data collection processes, produce reports and analyses, and support quality improvement activities to drive KPI performance.
The Policy, Planning, and Development Team leads the development and maintenance of the Division’s strategic plan. It also conducts research on local, state, and national policy to identify opportunities to reduce justice involvement for Philadelphians with behavioral health challenges and conducts research on best practices across the justice and behavioral health fields to provide BHJD programs with the most evidence informed processes and practices available.
The Administrative Support Team provides support to staff across the Division as it coordinates the allocation of office space, hiring processes, and related logistics. Administrative Coordinators also ensure equipment and supplies are readily available and provides data entry for BHJD programs.
