J_MICJS_2019A 07/09/2019 01:06:58 PM Committee Summary

Senator Rodriguez called the meeting to order and made introductions.  

Juliann Jenson, Legislative Council Staff, and Jane Ritter, Office of Legislative Legal Services, provided an overview of committee responsibilities and bill draft request deadlines.

Moses Gur and Ashley Tunstall, chair and co-chair of the Task Force Concerning the Treatment of Individuals with Mental Health Disorders in the Criminal Justice System (Task Force), provided an overview and background of the Task Force.  They distributed a pamphlet about the task force, including its history and accomplishments (Attachment A).  

Mr. Gur and Ms. Tunstall highlighted the group's achievements and some of the barriers encountered.  They further discussed the re-authorization of the Oversight Committee and Task Force in 2020.  They requested guidance from the Oversight Committee to better define the role, charge, and membership of the Task Force.

The Oversight Committee members asked questions about benchmarks and accomplishments beyond passing legislation.  Discussion followed about accessing data, staffing needs, and trends in the mental health field.



Mr. Gur and Ms. Tunstall answered questions about inter-agency cooperation and duplicative efforts in this area.



Discussion followed about mental health programming versus systemic change.

Mr. Gur and Ms. Tunstall discussed re-authorization of the Oversight Committee and Task Force and distributed the following documents:  Internal Review Working Group recommendations (Attachment B) and a running list of potential recommendations for legislation (Attachment C).  They discussed Task Force expectations, charge, scope, process, and staff support or lack thereof.  Discussion followed regarding Task Force members who represent state agencies and their ability to support certain recommendations.  They noted differences of opinions regarding the collective purpose of the Task Force.

Committee members discussed whether the Task Force should advocate positions or concentrate on being more of a think tank.  Further discussion followed about the size of the Task Force and its membership.   Some members expressed disappointment in the Task Force and how it has functioned over the past 20 years.   Discussion returned to evidence based practices and accomplishments of the Task Force, such as juvenile competency.  

Gina Shimeall, representing the Criminal Defense Bar on the Task Force, presented a brief overview of the competency ad-hoc subcommittee and the need to further address juvenile competency issues.



Peggy Heil, representing the Division of Criminal Justice on the Task Force, distributed a packet regarding areas of study and recommendations from the data subcommittee (Attachment D). She discussed the difficulties of finding information about individuals with mental health disorders in jail and the need for inter-agency information sharing.  Ms. Heil also addressed points of intercepts, 911 calls, and crisis service administrators.    

Committee members asked quesitons about jail booking logs, technology, and current efforts on the local level to address points of intercept.  Further discussion ensued about privacy and interoperability platforms.  

Ms. Shimeall presented findings from the housing subcommittee.  She referenced a 2017 bill regarding housing vouchers for mentally ill people coming out of prison.  She noted the need for cross-collabation in housing markets. A handout was distributed about the goals and strategy of the housing subcommittee (Attachment E).

Jennifer Longtin, representing the Alternate Defense Counsel on the Task Force, also spoke about the housing subcommittee and ackowledged interns from the University of Denver who helped on projects.  She stressed that the subcommittee has focused on long-term goals regarding technology, data gathering, wrap-around services, and integrating and connecting resources.  She referenced technology that could help accomplish these goals.  

Dr. Gianna Luszko, representing the Department of Human Services on the Task Force, discussed the M1 hold (emergency mental health holds) subcommittee and distributed a handout that includes recommendations (Attachment F).  She stressed the lack of data and outcome measures related to these holds.  She recommended developing a data bank to follow efficacy, outcomes, and placement of the individuals upon release.  She further discussed 911 protocols and related Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).  

The committee discussed POST and crisis intervention training.  

Committee members expressed interest in the further study of M1 holds.

Mr. Gur and Ms. Tunstall returned to the table and encouraged feedback from the Oversight Committee regarding the direction of the Task Force.  

Senator Rodriguez announced that the Oversight Committee will next meet in August or early September.

There was no public comment.