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Diversion and reentry services
Diversion and Reentry Services (DRS) coordinates programs to help people with behavioral health issues avoid jail and hospital visits.
Some programs also help those who have been hospitalized or incarcerated to transition back into the community to develop fulfilling lives. Individuals with behavioral health issues who are also experiencing homelessness may wind up in jail because of these very issues.
Our programs are intended to help connect them to social services instead of cycling through jail and hospitals—a costly approach that doesn’t support people, sustain change and promote productive lives.
In this section
Information for providers
Resources and information for providers with incarcerated clients.
In-custody services
Individuals in custody have a constitutional right to receive medical and behavioral health treatment. DRS works with system partners to increase the scope of services available in jails in King County. In doing so, individuals can make needed linkages to community providers and access health care.
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)
The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) arrest diversion program is a collaborative community safety effort that offers law enforcement a credible alternative to booking people into jail for criminal activity that stems from unmet behavioral health needs or poverty.
Diversion from legal competency services
All individuals charged with a crime have the constitutional right to understand the nature of the charges against them and assist in their defense (e.g. legal competence).
Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT)
The Program for Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) is an intensive, team-based behavioral health service package which offers individualized support in the community to people with serious mental health conditions and high service needs.
Reentry Case Management Services
The Reentry Case Management Services, known as REACH Reentry, provides comprehensive transitional reentry care coordination services to adults transitioning out of the suburban jails in South and East King County and supporting reentry from the Maleng Regional Justice Center.
Veterans Justice Initiative
The King County Veteran Justice Initiative (VJI) was implemented with the passage of the 2012 Veterans and Human Services Levy. The VJI strives to prevent unnecessary criminalization of behavioral health disorders and extended incarceration among veterans by ensuring eligible, justice-involved veterans have timely access to Veterans Health Administration services and other suitable services.
Vital Program
The Familiar Faces Initiative focuses on systems mapping, design, and improvement work centered on creating a system of integrated care for complex health populations that can eventually benefit any user of publicly-funded health services. Familiar Faces are a sentinel population defined as individuals who are frequent utilizers of the King County jail—defined as having been booked four or more times in a 12-month period. 94% percent of these individuals have a behavioral health condition.
Additional Resources
Resources for Providers
In addition to the King County Diversion and Reentry Services, there are two state-funded programs serving people who are releasing from a Washington State Prison to services in the community.
Washington State Programs
In addition to the King County Diversion and Reentry Services, there are two state funded programs serving individuals who are releasing from a Washington State Prison to services in the community.
Both programs are managed by Sound Health, and any questions regarding program services, eligibility, or referrals should be directed to Paul Gilbert at 206-302-2664, or Paul.Gilbert@Sound.Health.
The two King County programs are:
- Offender Reentry Community Safety Program (ORCSP) formerly known as the Community Integration Assistance Program (CIAP)
- Forensic Integrated Reentry Support and Treatment (FIRST) formerly known as Mentally Ill Offender-Community Transition Program (MIO-CTP or 6002 Program).
Each program involves legislatively defined eligibility criteria and a formal review and selection process. Both programs are designed to serve adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
Referral and Placement Process
Personnel within the WA State Department of Corrections (DOC) identify eligible individuals who are incarcerated (ORCSP and FIRST) or under DOC supervision (FIRST only) and refer them to the Statewide Review Committee (for ORCSP) or the local community review team (for FIRST). Once reviewed and approved by either committee, Sound behavioral staff engage the assigned participants in pre-release services and ongoing, post-release treatment and case management services in the community upon release from custody.
Program Capacity in King County
- ORCSP capacity is dependent upon available funds, typically ranging from 60 to 70 participants
- FIRST program capacity is 25 participants