Course Corrections is Mental Health Colorado’s initiative to disentangle mental health and criminal justice. The 2026 Course Corrections Summit convenes advocates, policymakers, and community leaders to advance solutions that reduce reliance on the criminal justice system and expand access to health care.

This Equitas Project virtual summit series is focused on rural and frontier diversion efforts and the unique roles and challenges of rural and frontier leaders in disentangling mental health and criminal justice.

Panelists will cover topics such as legislative reform; the importance of mitigation investigation and story-telling through the various phases of a case; the role of mental health in re-sentencing efforts and challenging conditions of confinement.

On April 22, 2019, key stakeholders from each sector of Larimer County’s criminal justice system met to inform the design and operations of a new behavioral health care system and facility. The purpose of the new system of care and facility is to provide access to levels of health care and pathways to successful community living which are currently unavailable or inadequate to the needs of the population.

The unique new integrated care and support facility, situated on county land near the intersection of Taft Hill Road and Trilby Rd., will be Larimer County’s reliable, right door for accessing quality, affordable mental health and substance use support and care. The expectation is that, over time, improvements in access to preventative and supportive care across the county’s systems may reduce what is expected to be an initially heavy reliance upon the new facility to close currently existing gaps in the system.

The facility will serve the needs of patients and their families, and also serve as a state-of-the-art one-stop shop for referrals and direct patient drop-offs from participating agencies. A key benefit of the facility for the community is that it will offer a 24/7 access point for public safety first responders. This expedited access to appropriate levels of quality care and support will provide public safety officers and the justice system with safe, effective, and economic alternatives to incarceration for individuals whose unmet health needs are more significant than any threat they may pose to public safety.

By waiting to address population health needs until they are acute and manifest in crises, communities rely too heavily on first responders, experiencing high costs and poor health outcomes. To get ahead of the current high-cost, low-yield cycle, Larimer County must strive to incorporate practices and policies that support behavioral health across the lifespan, reducing incidences of acuity and crisis. Reliance upon first responders and the new facility will diminish as population health improves. Colorado state leaders in behavioral health have made specific recommendations in each of the areas highlighted here:

On November 13 and 14, 2018, 91 law enforcement leaders from all over the U.S. convened in Los Angeles, California for Course Corrections: National Law Enforcement Summit – From Crisis Intervention to Mental Health and Public Safety. The purpose of this gathering was to identify consensus regarding priorities for policy and practice reform to improve mental health, reduce incarceration, and increase national safety, prosperity, and wellbeing.

On October 30 and 31 of 2018, experts and leaders in health, safety, and criminal justice from all over Colorado gathered for the Course Corrections: Steps to Health & Justice Summit. The purpose of this gathering was 1) to acknowledge Colorado’s urgent need for an alternative to incarceration and criminal justice system involvement for people living with mental illness and/or those who may be experiencing a mental health crisis, 2) to build consensus regarding what course corrections are most urgently required, and 3) to provide recommendations for improving health, reducing incarceration, maintaining public safety, and saving taxpayer dollars.

On March 28 and 29, 2018, 70 public defenders from 21 states and the District of Columbia convened in Denver, Colorado for Course Corrections: National Public Defenders Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice. The purpose of this gathering was to build consensus regarding priorities for policy and practice reform to improve mental health, safely reduce incarceration, and increase national prosperity and wellbeing.

On January 18 and 19, 2018, twenty two national leaders and experts convened on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. for Course Corrections: National Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice Law and Policy. The purpose of this gathering was to build consensus regarding priorities and opportunities for aligned policy reform advocacy and litigation activities that would jointly aim to improve mental health outcomes, reduce incarceration, and increase national prosperity and wellbeing.

On January 18 and 19, 2018, twenty two national leaders and experts convened on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. for Course Corrections: National Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice Law and Policy. The purpose of this gathering was to build consensus regarding priorities and opportunities for aligned policy reform advocacy and litigation activities that would jointly aim to improve mental health outcomes, reduce incarceration, and increase national prosperity and wellbeing.

On March 22 and 23 of 2017, experts and leaders in behavioral health and criminal justice from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia gathered for Course Corrections: Mid-Atlantic Summit on Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice. The purpose of this gathering was 1) to acknowledge the urgent need for an alternative to incarceration and criminal justice system involvement for people living with mental illness and/or those who may be experiencing a behavioral health crisis, 2) to build consensus regarding what course corrections are most urgently required, especially with regard to supporting community reintegration, and 3) to provide recommendations for overcoming barriers to reducing incarceration, improving behavioral health outcomes, and maintaining public safety.

On March 10, 2017, over two hundred experts and leaders in behavioral health and criminal justice from all over the state gathered for the NAMI Indiana 14th Annual Mental Health & Criminal Justice Summit: Course Corrections. The purpose of this gathering was 1) to address Indiana’s urgent need for an alternative to incarceration and criminal justice system involvement for people living with mental illness and/or those who may be experiencing a behavioral health crisis, 2) to share work being done across the state to advance this work, and 3) to build consensus regarding what course corrections are most urgently required for overcoming barriers to improving behavioral health outcomes and maintaining public safety.

On August 31 and September 1 of 2016, over two hundred experts and leaders in behavioral health and criminal justice from all over the state gathered for Course Corrections: Colorado Summit on Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice. The purpose of this historical gathering was 1) to acknowledge Colorado’s urgent need for an alternative to incarceration and criminal justice system involvement for people living with mental illness and/or those who may be experiencing a behavioral health crisis, 2) to build consensus regarding what course corrections are most urgently required, and 3) to provide recommendations for overcoming barriers to reducing incarceration, improving behavioral health outcomes, and maintaining public safety.