Florida Partners in Crisis

Pre-Booking Diversion

Individuals with mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders may be identified for diversion by police, before formal charges are brought. Pre-booking diversion occurs at the point of contact with law enforcement officers and relies heavily on effective interactions between police and community mental health and substance abuse services. Most pre-booking programs are characterized by specialized training for police officers and a 24-hour crisis drop-off center with a no-refusal policy for persons brought in by the police. The most recognized program model is the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) developed in Memphis, TN. Other models of pre-booking diversion involve collaboration between police and specially-trained mental health service providers who co-respond to calls involving a potential mental health crisis.

The TAPA Center publication, A Guide to Implementing Police-Based Diversion Programs for People with Mental Illness, describes the experiences of many communities seeking to implement or improve CIT and other pre-booking diversion programs.

For more information about Pre-booking Diversion visit these websites:

• http://www.gainscenter.samhsa.gov
• http://www.consensusproject.org
• http://www.cit.memphis.edu