Background & Approach
Sangamon County is located in central Illinois and contains the state capital, Springfield. Sangamon County initially engaged in a planning process to determine whether it would be possible to design a Community Crisis Center that would divert adults with mental illness or co-occurring disorders from jail to treatment and services. Though the Community Crisis Center was ultimately not feasible, its multidisciplinary planning team brought together community groups and leaders who might not otherwise have had the chance to collaborate. Partners in the team have continued to collaborate and build new, related initiatives, such as a Jail Population Review Team, Living Room Model, Assistant Outpatient Treatment Program, Survivor Trauma Center, Crisis Line, Outpatient Competency Restoration Program, and Law Enforcement Agency Response Network.
Sangamon County continues to engage with the Safety and Justice Challenge Network to rethink and redesign its criminal justice system so that it is more fair, just, and equitable for all.
