Key Stakeholders: People with Lived Experience This document is for PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE who want to identify ways to be involved in planning or developing a coordinated behavioral health continuum of care in their community. It is also for STAKEHOLDERS of local Familiar Faces Initiatives who want to include people with lived experience in policy planning and development. People with lived experience can include people with mental health conditions as well as family members, friends, loved ones or anyone impacted by mental illness. Most importantly, people with lived experience (also referred to as peers) are individuals who have experience navigating systems to access mental health services and support. They play a key role in developing efficient systems and are fundamental to any mental health systems changes. Below are some ways that people with lived experience can support a community’s FFI efforts.

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This brief is for BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROVIDERS, such as clinicians and social workers who deliver mental health or substance abuse treatment and wraparound services (e.g., housing and employment) to people in communities and jails. These positions are key to DDJ efforts because they establish community linkages for frequent utilizers by ensuring that individuals in need are directly and quickly connected to treatment and services. Below are some ways that providers can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.

The Playbook is designed to help guide the development of a multi-system strategy to successfully divert frequent utilizers, when appropriate, away from the criminal justice and emergency health systems and toward community-based treatment and services. Familiar Faces (formerly Data-Driven Justice) communities played a key role in developing the Playbook, sharing lessons learned and successful practices so that other communities can build from the work already underway and accelerate progress towards impactful solutions that improve outcomes for vulnerable individuals in their community.

This brief is for CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATORS – positions that are often housed within county justice agencies, county administrative officers or their own county department. Criminal justice coordinators play a vital role acting as a convener and liaison between various county agencies and community groups. In the attached are some ways that criminal justice coordinators can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.

This brief is for OFFICERS AND STAFF OF THE COURT AND PROBATION SYSTEMS – positions such as  prosecutors, public defenders, probation and pretrial officers, court administrators and judges who have first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by people with mental illnesses and/or substance use disorders who come in contact with the criminal justice system. These stakeholders are crucial to helping ensure people are served by the appropriate systems through diversion and access to services after release from jail, promoting greater  transparency and accountability throughout the judicial process and advocating for deeper systems change. In the attached are some ways that courts and probation leaders can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.

This brief is for ELECTED OFFICIALS – positions such as county commissioners, supervisors and executives, as well as mayors and city councils, that make important policy and funding decisions for communities. These individuals are vital to local efforts as they act as champions and conveners and often have the responsibility
of supporting and/or funding policies, practices and programs to serve frequent utilizers. In the attached are some ways that elected officials can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.

This brief is for DATA ANALYSTS AND IT PROFESSIONALS – positions that navigate various legal, privacy and security concerns and match data across different systems. Data analysts and IT professionals provide critical guidance on establishing strategic and legal partnerships, creating an environment that promotes data sharing and addressing information silos. Below are some ways that IT and data professionals can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.

This brief is for LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CORRECTIONS PROFESSIONALS – positions that serve as the face of the justice system and are often called to respond to the needs of people experiencing a behavioral health crisis in the community and in jail. Law enforcement and corrections professionals like sheriffs, jail personnel and police officers and chiefs play a vital role in the implementation of innovative justice interventions. Below are some ways that law enforcement and corrections professionals can support your community’s Data-Driven Justice efforts.