Maricopa County announces new health partnership for offenders

PHOENIX –Maricopa County will begin to provide treatment to felony offenders designated as seriously mentally ill thanks to a new partnership.

County Attorney Bill Montgomery signed a contract with Southwest Behavioral Health Services to provide the service as part of MCAO’s Felony Pretrial Intervention Program (FPIP).

“FPIP-SMI will work with participants to achieve a successful outcome, avoiding prosecution and potential incarceration,” Montgomery said in a release Thursday. “More importantly, it will result in people having greater access to mental health treatment and services.”

The program, which is set to launch Aug. 12, is the first of its kind in Maricopa and Arizona.

Adult offenders qualify for the program if they meet eligibility criteria under the Ohio Risk Assessment System, a test that determines an offender’s risk to reoffend and identifies criminogenic needs.

Once the offender is determined as a candidate, the prosecution in their case is suspended. Following a comprehensive clinical exam, a treatment plan is developed and the offender participates in Decision Points curriculum, a cognitive-behavioral intervention program.

If offenders successfully completes the program, MCAO will dismiss the case, but if they don’t complete the requirements, MCAO will reinstate the prosecution.

The FPIP began in 2015 and has seen approximately 1,200 participants with a 61% success rate, according to the release.

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