Jail Diversion Programs
(Mental Health Court & Treatment Alternative to Prison Program)

CN Guidance & Counseling Services, through funding from the Nassau County Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities, provides support services to two of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office five  Office of Alternative Prosecutions and Resources Programs (OAP).

These alternative-to-incarceration courts adjudicates over both misdemeanor and felony cases. The goal of these two problem-solving courts is to:

• Decriminalize mental illness
• Improve the quality of life for those with mental illness
• Improve coordination and communication between the mental health and criminal justice systems
• Reduce recidivism through early intervention & treatment
• Reduce length of time incarcerated and frequency of arrests for offenders with mental illness
• Reduce the overall expense and labor associated with incarcerating offenders with mental illness
• Provide courts with the means of assessing, identifying, and monitoring those with mental illness from among the general population
• Improve public safety