The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office participates a proactive approach designed to address the public health and safety challenges affecting our community. By utilizing one or more of the six Deflection pathways, the Sheriff’s Office aims to identify individuals at risk and connect them to treatment and recovery services while minimizing criminal justice involvement. Through deflection efforts, our agency helps link individuals to appropriate care at the earliest possible point, providing the resources and support needed to improve recovery outcomes and reduce future criminal activity.
Approach: This pathway ensures that individuals can engage with law enforcement agencies without fear of arrest, creating a safe entry point for those ready to seek help. The voluntary nature of this pathway often makes participants well-suited for PREP services, as they demonstrate initial motivation and readiness for sustained engagement.
Approach: Involves first responders intentionally identifying or seeking out individuals with substance use disorders to refer them to social service programs, treatment, and services. This outreach is typically conducted by teams comprising behavioral health professionals and/or certified peers with lived experience. This pathway typically connects individuals to Targeted Outreach services focused on initial engagement and relationship building.
Approach: Involves first responders and program partners, often behavioral health professionals or certified peers with lived experience, conducting targeted outreach specifically to individuals who have recently experienced opioid overdoses. This pathway assists with engaging individuals in treatment and providing linkages to treatment and social services. The immediate post overdose period represents a critical window for engagement, making this pathway particularly suitable for Targeted Outreach approaches.
Approach: Operates as a preventative approach during routine first responder activities, where personnel engage individuals and provide referrals to treatment, services, or case managers without filing charges or making arrests when law enforcement is involved. Depending on the individual's level of engagement and readiness, this pathway can connect people to either PREP or Targeted Outreach services.
Approach: Deploys teams comprising of community-based behavioral health professionals such as crisis workers, clinicians, and certified peer specialists, sometimes in partnership with medical professionals, to respond to calls for service. These teams engage individuals to help de-escalate crises, mediate low-level conflicts, or address quality of life issues by providing referrals to treatment, services, or case managers.
Approach: Applicable exclusively to law enforcement and occurs during routine activities such as patrol or response to service calls where charges would otherwise be filed. In this pathway, law enforcement provides referrals to treatment, services, or case managers, or issues non-criminal citations requiring program participation while holding charges in abeyance until treatment or social service plans are completed.