Centers of Excellence Resources

Crisis Care Resources

• Crisis Now: Tools
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care - PDF
• 988: Access a support helpline for people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies.

Overview

• Bureau of Justice Assistance: Police–Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Model

• Program Overview

  • University of Memphis CIT Center: Resources for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs nationwide
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Programs

• Program Development

  • Bureau of Justice Assistance: Collaborative Crisis Response and Intervention Training Program
  • CIT International: Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Programs: A Best Practice Guide for Transforming Community Responses to Mental Health Crises
  • CIT International: Organization website and additional resources

• Maryland CIT Implementation

  • University of Maryland School of Social Work: Crisis Intervention Team Landscape Analysis – Final Report - PDF - 10.03 MB

• CIT Funding Opportunities

  • Centers of Excellence: Grant Funding Opportunities for CIT Programming - PDF - 103.93 KB

• Share Success Stories

  • Submit a CIT Success Story

Law Enforcement Training

• Centers of Excellence: Behavioral Health Awareness and De-escalation Training Resources for Law Enforcement - PDF - 181.16 KB
• Centers of Excellence: Police Training and Standards Commission Model Policy: Crisis Intervention Team Model Standard Training Curriculum - PDF

The following resources provide guidance on sharing information across behavioral health, public safety, and criminal legal system partners:

• Centers of Excellence: Summary: Data Sharing Within Police–Behavioral Health Collaborations - PDF - 180.56 KB
• Policy Research Associates: Getting Started: Essential Measures for Data and Information Sharing Across the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) (YouTube)
• Policy Research Associates: Data Sharing Among Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Partners: Addressing Data Sharing Agreements and Confidentiality Concerns (YouTube)
• Policy Research Associates: Data Sharing Among Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Partners: Mechanisms and Platforms for Efficient Data and Information Sharing (YouTube)

The following resources provide information on diversion and deflection programs and best practices:

• American Bar Association: Criminal Justice Standards on Diversion
• Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy: Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Initiatives
• Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative: Anne Arundel County, Maryland Safe Stations (Video)
• Policy Research Associates: SAMHSA's GAINS Center Early Diversion Virtual Learning Community (Webinar)

The Maryland Behavioral Health Administration Office of Consumer Affairs maintains an email distribution list for Peer Recovery Specialists (PRS) and Peer Recovery Specialist Supervisors.

Subscribers receive updates about:

• Training opportunities
• Local and statewide resources
• Advocacy events
• Community engagement activities
• Employment opportunities for Peer Recovery Specialists

To join the email distribution list, contact Adelaide Weber at [email protected].

To learn how to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS) in Maryland, contact the Maryland Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals Certification Board.

Pretrial services are established and administered by individual jurisdictions throughout Maryland.

The following resources provide guidance and best practices for pretrial services:

• Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center: Improving Responses to People with Mental Illness at the Pretrial Stage: Essential Elements

The following resources support reentry planning and services for individuals returning to the community after incarceration:

• Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy: Maryland Justice Reinvestment Initiative
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison