Across the United States, local criminal justice systems are facing a significant challenge: the overrepresentation of individuals with behavioral health needs. Statistics reveal a stark disparity: approximately 20 percent of individuals incarcerated in jails grapple with serious mental illness, compared to just about 4 percent of the general population. These individuals often find themselves cycling through a complex web of systems, including behavioral and physical health services, crisis intervention, and housing support. Those who frequently interact with these multiple systems Are Familiar Faces within these networks, highlighting a critical area for systemic improvement.
Data from Georgia underscores the urgent need for policy and program reforms to better serve people who are familiar faces. In Fulton County (Atlanta), a data-matching initiative across housing, behavioral health, and jail records focused on a pilot group of 100 individuals with high system utilization. The findings were striking: people who are familiar faces experienced jail bookings at a rate 10 times higher and accumulated 20 times more jail bed days compared to the general jail population. This high utilization translates to substantial financial costs, reaching $1.3 million annually in jail bed days alone.
Further research by the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, examining individuals with the highest booking rates (top 1 percent) across nine diverse county jails in Georgia, reinforced this pattern. The study revealed that people who are familiar faces were booked into jail an average of 15 times over a 5-year period, or approximately 3 times each year.
How the States Supporting Familiar Faces Initiative Provided Assistance
Recognizing this pressing issue, the States Supporting Familiar Faces (SSFF) initiative was launched from 2022 to 2023. This project specifically aimed to assist states like Georgia and New Mexico in redirecting funding and reshaping policies to bolster local, data-driven strategies for improving outcomes for people who are familiar faces. Georgia’s participation in the SSFF project involved an intensive 18-month support period from The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center. The CSG Justice Center played a crucial role as facilitators and conveners, establishing a coalition of 12 Georgia counties to contribute to the project’s direction. They also facilitated focus groups with subject matter experts and individuals with lived experience, and engaged with stakeholders throughout the state on vital issues such as housing solutions, behavioral health service accessibility, data collection and sharing practices, and justice system diversion programs.
The Familiar Faces Advisory Committee, operating under the Mental Health Court and Corrections subcommittee of the Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission (BHRIC), provided guidance for the project. This committee included representatives from state and local behavioral health, housing, criminal justice, and law enforcement sectors. It also benefited from the perspectives of all three branches of government and, importantly, individuals with direct personal experience within behavioral health and justice systems. Throughout the project, the CSG Justice Center supported the Advisory Committee in formulating and implementing data-informed recommendations driven by local needs, all aimed at improving outcomes for people who are familiar faces.
Implementation and Impact of the Recommendations
In November 2022, the Familiar Faces Advisory Committee presented its recommendations to the BHRIC. These policy recommendations have since progressed into implementation through administrative and regulatory actions in 2023, as well as multi-year initiatives requiring ongoing legislative action and future administrative adjustments. As of November 2023, the implemented measures include:
- Launching five jail in-reach pilot programs, incorporating peer support specialists, case managers, and validated mental health screening tools.
- Initiating a statewide study to assess behavioral health bed needs, scheduled for completion in 2023.
- Completing a study on behavioral health workforce needs across Georgia.
- Establishing a cross-system working group that has developed shared definitions for “serious and persistent mental illness,” “familiar faces,” and “homelessness” within the state.
- Forming a Forensic Competency Task Force to examine and develop policy recommendations concerning processes, rules, and statutes related to competency to stand trial evaluations and restoration.
