Arrest and Jail Alternatives Law Enforcement Grant Program
The Arrest and Jail Alternatives Grant Program (RCW 36.28A.450) was established with the passage of HB 1767 in the 2019 Legislative Session. WASPC, in consultation with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) National Support Bureau (“NSB”), was tasked with the development and implementation of a grant program aimed at supporting local initiatives to properly identify criminal justice system-involved persons with substance use disorders and other behavioral health needs and engage those persons with therapeutic interventions and other services, the efficacy of which have been demonstrated by experience, peer-reviewed research, or which are credible promising practices, prior to or at the time of jail booking, or while in custody.
The anticipated outcomes that applicants will need to address are as follows:
To reduce arrests, time spent in custody, and/or recidivism for clients served by the program
To increase access to and utilization of non-emergency community behavioral health services
To reduce utilization of emergency services
To increase resilience, stability, and well-being for clients served; and
To reduce costs for the justice system compared to processing cases as usual through the justice system
The following is a short video outlining the Washington Arrest and Jail Alternatives Program.
2021-2022 AJA Grantees:
Catholic Community Services (Olympia): Catholic Community Services (CCS) operates the Arrest and Jail Alternatives (AJA) program, utilizing peer case managers and mental health professionals to assist Olympia community members facing challenges related to behavioral health, homelessness, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Peers draw upon their shared life experience in order to offer empowering, non-judgmental support to individuals who have been traditionally let down by systems of care. AJA employs a trauma-responsive and client-directed model based on principles of harm reduction, and seeks to improve access to services such as housing and non-emergency treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. The program’s goals include reducing recidivism, financial strain on the criminal justice system, and inappropriate utilization of emergency services. CCS staff work closely with the Olympia Police Department, Crisis Response Unit, and providers of behavioral health treatment, housing, and other services, seeking to walk with each individual towards resilience, stability, and greater well-being.
Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic (Port Angeles): REdisCOVERY is response, outreach and case management teams that respond to behavioral health crises in the field with law enforcement, conducts encampment outreach in the woods, performs home visits with Community Paramedics and links individuals to available and appropriate services when released from emergency room and/or jails. We reduce costs to the community by reducing the unnecessary use of emergency services because we effectively bring services to where they are needed, when they are needed. We provide street and shelter medical, mental health, and resource clinics and fierce advocacy for trauma informed treatment at all levels of care. We are a mobile response that includes specially trained de-escalators, medical professionals, psychiatric providers, and individuals with the treasure of lived experience and recovery. We are housed within the Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic (OPCC) otherwise known as the "free clinic" who have been providing services to our community's most vulnerable since 2001.
Comprehensive Healthcare (Walla Walla): The Walla Walla Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program is a partnership between local law enforcement, legal system, community service providers, and assertive case managers to support individuals who commit low-level offenses, struggle with an unmet behavioral health need and/or extreme poverty gain access to supports to address problems they are facing. Comprehensive Healthcare and Blue Mountain Heart to Heart have partnered together to build a team of case managers to work with participants to identify their needs and connect them with community supports to address needs such as legal issues, behavioral health treatment, medication assisted treatment, education and employment training, housing and so much more. Walla Walla LEAD is a voluntary, referral based program free of time constraints that meets the participant where they’re at (literally and figuratively) to support them get on track and out of the legal system. The majority of participant engagement is in the field rather than in the office which builds trust and cultivates a relationship—the most powerful agent of transformation.
Please note: grants awarded under this program are separate and distinct from grants awarded pursuant to RCW 36.28A.440 and SB 5380. Grant funds may not be used to fulfill minimum medical and treatment services that jails or community mental health agencies are legally required to provide.
RCW 36.28A.450(9) requires WASPC to submit annual reports on the status of the program.
If you have any trouble accessing or using the application platform, please contact us at [email protected]. The inquiry timeline does not apply to questions regarding the application platform.
Response to Written Inquiries (posted May 15, 2023): No written inquiries were received.
Draft Contract and Julota SaaS Agreement (posted 05/15/23)
Grant Contracts will be issued using language substantially similar to this draft, with variations as necessary based on award negotiations and other considerations at WASPC's sole discretion.
For additional information, please contact: Steven Briggs, NCA | Programs Coordinator WA Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs [email protected] or 360.486.2389
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