Efforts To Build A Data-Integrated Mental Health Unit In The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office

• In Event: Considering Mental Health in Courts and Sentencing

Abstract

Since emerging in the late 1990s, mental health courts have grown in popularity nationwide. Generally, such efforts aim to address the well-documented intersection between mental illness and crime. Hundreds of courts are currently operating in different state and local jurisdictions. Since 2018, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has had a dedicated unit that specializes in cases involving people with serious mental illness. This talk will highlight how the new unit has used data to inform its day-to-day operational work, as well as broader decision-making and resource allocation in the office and among stakeholders. We will also discuss steps we have taken to improve data collection and reporting, including a recent addition of more granular options within the case management system to better track people’s program status and program outcomes. In addition to highlighting successes and ongoing efforts to improve, we will conclude with challenges we have faced on the journey for more robust data capacity, reporting, and mental health programming.

Authors

• Arona Gur, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office

• Juncheng Liu, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office

• Oren Gur, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office