Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS)
Last Revised: October 30, 2025
- Issue Areas
- Health and well-being Justice and public safety
Program overview
Increasing mental health care access: Light touch, jail-based mental health outreach involves jail staff connecting individuals who likely have a serious mental health condition with mental health care providers when they are released from jail. The strategy aims to increase access to mental health care and reduce recidivism rates.
Identifying mental health conditions: To identify candidates for outreach, individuals are screened for symptoms of serious mental illness when they enter jail. Screening tools should be simple and easily administered by existing correctional staff as part of the booking process. For example, facilities may use the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen, an eight question survey designed to be integrated into the intake process.
Referral to treatment: Jail staff generally provide identified individuals with information about local mental health resources based on their unique situation. This may include referrals to medical facilities which offer outpatient therapy and medications. If an individual has previously seen a local provider for mental health treatment, program staff will generally attempt to reconnect them to that provider to ensure continuity of care.
- Cost
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Approximately $278 per outreach case (accounting for medical costs incurred by the country, Medicaid and private providers, as well as staffing costs associated with the program).
- Location
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Johnson County (KS)
One study with a rigorous design provides some evidence for light touch, jail-based mental health outreach as a promising strategy for reducing recidivism.
A 2025 quasi-experimental study found that the BJMHS and subsequent outreached reduced recidivism rates by 12 percentage points among eligible inmates after 180 days. These effects largely remained for at least a year post-release.
Create systems to share client data: A database to gather and share screening and treatment information about individuals with mental health conditions in the criminal justice system can be an effective tool. Often, individuals with mental health conditions interact with many public and social services agencies. To the extent possible, creating systems for cross-agency partners to access client data promotes continuity of care and better coordination of services.
Ensuring staff buy-in: Because the initial screenings for light touch services are administered by officers when inmates are booked, jail staff must be committed to the program for it to be effective. While little training is typically required to administer the screening process, staff should be educated on the prevalence of mental health conditions within inmate populations and the importance of identifying and referring individuals to treatment. Education and continued program oversight may encourage compliance.