Bear River Mental Health trying to halt repeat criminal behavior

In presenting his annual mental health area plan to the Cache County Council on Tuesday, Bear River Mental Health Services Director and CEO Reed Ernstrom described what is referred to as the new “Justice Reinvestment Initiative” adopted by the Utah legislature during its latest session.

Ernstrom said the new initiative is focused on reducing recidivism for people convicted of crimes who have drug or mental health problems.

“The key component of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative focuses on the factors of criminal risk that underly the problem of criminal recidivism,” Ernstrom said. “Typically these factors include pro-criminal associations, pro-criminal attitudes and values, pro-criminal personality features as well as poor social, educational, leisure and work histories, as well as illicit substance use and abuse.”

Ernstrom said it is proposed that a coalition to work on this effort be created which includes representatives of district court, mental health, defense attorneys, probation and patrol workers and the Utah Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

He said the coalition will be asked to address these issues in an effort to keep people from cycling back into the system.

Asked what the recidivism rate might be in Cache County, County Attorney James Swink estimated it could be as high as 80 percent.

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