The Trueblood U.S. District Court is seeking existing, experienced and appropriately credentialed providers who can provide diversion services.
Do you know of an experienced service provider committed to diverting people with mental illness and other disabilities from the criminal justice system and supporting them in the community? The Trueblood U.S. District Court is seeking existing, experienced and appropriately credentialed providers who can provide:
- Service enhancements to existing Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), mobile crisis programs, and community-based crisis services.
- Community services to prevent future arrests and incarceration of class members ordered for competency services.
Please note that the Trueblood diversion funds will not be used to create new CIT programs.
Share this Phase III Trueblood Jail Diversion Request for Proposals & Application Requirements [PDF] with existing, experienced and credentialed providers immediately. The deadline for applying to be a provider is December 22, 2017.
RFP Documents
To request alternative formats of these documents, please contact Dr. Danna Mauch, Ph.D., Trueblood Court Monitor, dannamauch@mamh.org.
- Phase III Trueblood Jail Diversion Request for Proposals & Application Requirements: Download PDF | DOCX
- Sample Letter of Intent: Download PDF | DOCX
- Phase III Trueblood Diversion RFP Budget Template: Download XLXS
- Phase III Trueblood Request for Proposals Questions and Responses (Updated Dec. 13, 2017): Download PDF | DOCX
Background
Each year, thousands of individuals are sitting for weeks and even months for competency services in jails across the state. None of these people have actually been convicted of any crime, but they are held in jails ill-equipped to meet their mental health needs even though a court has ordered that they be admitted to the state hospitals for the receipt of competency services due to concerns with their ability to stand trial.
In an effort to remedy this problem, in August 2014, Disability Rights Washington and co-counsel filed a case called A.B. by and through Trueblood et. al. v Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Class members are all pretrial detainees waiting in jail for court-ordered competency services that Defendants are statutorily required to provide.
The Trueblood Court has ordered the State of Washington to take immediate steps to reduce the length of time class members are waiting in jail so that no one is waiting more than seven days for admission to a hospital for competency services or fourteen days for a fully completed jail-based competency evaluation. DSHS has been unable to comply with reducing wait times for admission services to seven days or less.
Because of the failure to reduce wait times, the State of Washington has been found in contempt of court. The State is paying daily fines to the Court. So far, the State has been fined over $30 million. The Court has also ordered that the fines be spent on diverting class members out of jails.
The Trueblood parties have previously granted funds under Phases I and II of Trueblood Diversion. The current contempt sanctions have exceeded initial predictions. Thus, Phase III grant recipients are bidding for approximately $5 million in total awards. Given the increasing amount of contempt sanctions, the Trueblood parties anticipate potential extensions of successful grants that yield demonstrated positive outcomes. Phases I and II of Trueblood Diversion were targeted to same day booking and referrals as well as re-entry services. The Phase III RFP seeks providers regarding exclusively emergency services and community supports.
Phase III Trueblood Diversion RFP
The Trueblood parties have agreed to four goals in Phase III:
- Prevent deeper class member involvement in and recidivism in the criminal justice system;
- Reduce demand for competency services;
- Minimize the harm inflicted on class members by reducing criminal justice involvement and long term incarceration rates; and,
- Serve class members in the least restrictive environment.
Consistent with these goals the Trueblood Court has determined that the focus of this RFP shall be on two key service interventions that are priorities for addressing needs of Trueblood class members.
These priorities are:
Option I: “Services Enhancements to CIT”
Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is an evidence-based program to train police officers in methods for safely helping someone in a behavioral health crisis. Officers learn about the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and related behavioral health conditions, and are provided strategies for effective management of crisis situations involving individuals with these conditions. This often involves collaborative work between a comprehensive behavioral healthcare provider, its crisis intervention services and law enforcement.
Washington State Counties have invested in CIT implementation, but in some cases have not had the resources to provide behavioral health staff partners to police officers or to follow up with case management and other services to people with a behavioral health issue who get involved with police.
This service involves augmenting existing programs with enhanced CIT including a mental health clinician to ride along with officers and critical support services after diversion. Other Services Enhancements to CIT may include case management, short-term respite or crisis beds, access to inpatient chemical dependency and co-occurring conditions treatment beds, and improving access to stable housing options. Please note that the Trueblood diversion funds will not be used to create new CIT programs.
We seek providers with existing experience in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), mobile crisis programs, and community-based crisis services. CIT prepared public safety programs often have a combination of trained police officers and mental health professionals who help respond to crises by providing consultation by telephone or in person when a psychiatric emergency involving law enforcement arises. Services Enhancements to CIT program requests may include a “ride along” program. That is, rather than merely having clinicians who are trained in crisis intervention available to officers by telephone, the clinicians travels in a patrol car with the officer. These clinical partners to the police may in turn serve not only as a partner in managing and diffusing the crisis situation, but also in facilitating entry to a broader range of behavioral health treatment and support services that will ensure diversion from the justice system.
Existing providers of Services Enhancements to CIT interventions must have proven linkages to community-based resources like crisis centers, emergency respite beds, or inpatient treatment programs with dual diagnosis capacity.
Option II: Community Services
We also seek providers with experience providing community services to prevent future arrests and incarceration of class members ordered for competency services. For this grant, we are again prioritizing housing and related case management for class members. We particularly seek creative programs to improve access to stable or more permanent housing options for class members. We are receptive to receiving proposals that also connect class members with other community services like supported employment, chemical dependency or co-occurring conditions treatment. For more information about the service needs of class members, see “Trueblood Class Member Need Profile” in the Phase III Trueblood Jail Diversion Request for Proposals & Application Requirements [PDF].
The deadline for applying to be a provider is December 22, 2017.
Timeline – Phase III Trueblood Request for Proposals (RFP) Key Dates
- RFP Release: October 30, 2017
- Applicant Conference via Teleconference: November 6, 2017 from 11 AM to 1 PM PST
Phone number: 877-817-1622
Passcode: 528 486 - Questions Accepted: November 7 – November 11, 2017
- Responses Posted: November 17, 2017
- Letter of Intent Due: December 1, 2017
- RFP Response Deadline: December 22, 2017 at 5:00 PM PST (must be emailed)
- Oral Presentations for Select Applicants: January 8
- Review Committee Selections: January 16, 2018
- Submission to the Court: February 1, 2018
- Award Notice by Court: March 1, 2018
- Project Start Date: No later than July 1, 2018
RFP and More Information
- Phase III Trueblood Jail Diversion Request for Proposals & Application Requirements: Download PDF | DOCX
- More details about this class action lawsuit, who it includes and what has happened so far can be found here.
- All inquiries, letters of intent, and Trueblood Diversion RFP submissions should be sent to the Trueblood Court Monitor, Dr. Danna Mauch, at dannamauch@mamh.org.