The purpose of the Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Alert Tool is to improve coordination for individuals with behavioral health and/or substance use needs as they are involved in the criminal justice system. This tool identifies individuals who are at various stages of involvement with the criminal justice system and who have received Medicaid behavioral health services, specifically if they are eligible or have been enrolled in Health and Recovery Plans (HARPs) and/or Health Homes (HH). Connecting people with community-based services and providing them with the supports needed can assist in reducing recidivism.

The Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Alert Tool provides a platform for criminal justice system data sets from various resources (i.e., Jail Rosters, Arraignment Lists, Police Blotters, VINE, etc.) to be compared against a select number of indicators within the statewide Medicaid database, Psychiatric Services and Clinical Knowledge System (PSYCKES). While this tool was created to support reintegration efforts, it can also be used for a variety of initiatives that require matching two excel files.