Wisconsin counties could seek grants for mental health diversion programs

The Department of Justice would award grants to counties and tribes for programs that offer alternatives to prosecution and incarceration. The programs would serve low- to medium-risk offenders whose mental illness contributes to their contact with the criminal justice system. They may serve people before charges, after charges, or after conviction; violent offenders are excluded. The department must work with corrections and health agencies. A county or tribe qualifies only if the department identifies it as well-positioned and its program meets the listed requirements. Programs must exclude violent offenders and use mental health treatment practices approved by the state health department. Participants must pay a reasonable amount based on their income and available assets; programs must also seek available insurance and public aid. The grant schedule refers to a table in a PDF that is not readable in the provided text, so its amount cannot be stated. No grants could be awarded after June 30 in the year that begins five years after this section takes effect. The department would report on implementation after three years and summarize outcomes after five years.

The Department of Justice would receive funding for two staff positions to administer the grant program. The funding and positions are for the Department of Justice. The text specifies $150,000 for fiscal year 2025–26 and $300,000 for fiscal year 2026–27 for one program manager and one research analyst. The two amounts apply to fiscal years 2025–26 and 2026–27, respectively.

The bill text includes the new program among programs covered by several rules on jail time, sentence credit, and participation conditions. These provisions refer to programs that meet the requirements of section 165.95 or 165.958, as determined by the Department of Justice. The text says people jailed in connection with a qualifying section 165.958 program are not covered by the county-jail good-time rule. It also provides sentence credit for custody in a qualifying program. For an approved substance abuse treatment program that authorizes monitoring technology or day reporting, a court or district attorney may require a participant to use it.