Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in support of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is authorized through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, what we call MIOTCRA, legislation that I was proud to work on nearly 20 years ago as the then-ranking member of the Crime Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee.

This legislation has proven to successfully connect State and local governments with necessary resources to plan and implement initiatives designed to increase public safety, save tax dollars on ineffective or even counterproductive incarceration, and improve the lives of people with mental illness and their families.

These grants for States and localities allow for the development of programming that connects those with mental illness and substance use issues with evidence-based and comprehensive treatment within the criminal justice system. Each year there are about 2 million people with serious mental illnesses admitted to jails across the country.

In fact, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 44 percent of those in jail and 37 percent of those in prisons have a history of mental illness.

Furthermore, once incarcerated, individuals with mental illness tend to stay in jail longer, and upon release are more likely to return to incarceration than those without mental illnesses.

These grants encourage collaboration between law enforcement and healthcare providers. The reforms to this program included in this reauthorization are centered on reducing suicide, increasing access to case management services, bolstering the roles of co-responder and crisis intervention teams, and continuing the strong support of mental health courts. This bill recognizes that prevention is the best investment in the criminal justice system for long-term success and cost savings.

This legislation is the result of the hard work of many, including State government organizations, mental health organizations, and law enforcement organizations. I thank all of those and my colleagues who have led this effort with me, including Representatives Chabot, Jackson Lee, and Emmer; the chairman of the committee, Mr. Nadler; as well as Senators Cornyn, Klobuchar, Moran, Durbin, Grassley, Whitehouse, Tillis, and Cortez Masto.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting the reauthorization of this legislation so we can get it to the President's desk before the end of the year.

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