lawmakers are looking to a new approach for non-violent offenders in the state diverting those who qualify from serving jail time to instead entering a Statewide mental illness program it operates like a recovery court and those who graduate have their charges expunged as Melissa Rose Cooper tells us the success rate is undeniable we're looking for as many ways as possible to keep people who should not be involved in a criminal justice system out of this system especially when it appears that there's an underlying mental health reason that we may come down to being the root of the problem that's why acting Essex County prosecutor Theodore Stevens supports efforts to create a Statewide mental health diversion program today members of the assembly Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would allow people diagnosed with mental illness who have committed non-violent Petty offenses to be eligible to receive Mental Health Services instead of jail time I think we're Duty bound to recognize that where we can and if there are Avenues to divert people that we certainly have to be willing to consider those as we have for at least a decade now Essex County is one of several across New Jersey where mental health diversion programs are already exist I have had so many times when the victim has said they need help they don't need to go to jail we need help so the mental health program is a response to the community that not everybody can go to jail and that there are some instances where people have valid mental health issues that has been documented that they can receive that help and we have the victim involved in the process assistant Essex County prosecutor Gwen Williams says the program has proven to be a success with more than 300 graduates less than one percent became reoffenders many times when people go to jail when they get out of jail they're coming right back to the same community that they lived in so why send them to jail if we can get help for them and have that family to be reunited and they become productive parts of society I think that's the ultimate goal of being the criminal justice system for the person to come back to be a productive member of society according to a report released by the prison policy initiative last year over 40 percent of people in state prisons across the country have been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition yet only about a fourth of them receive professional help this bill would create more access to mental health diversion progress throughout the state years ago when you said someone had a mental health issue it was to Taboo to talk about and people talked about it secretly because you know they didn't know how to deal with it Society has advanced now that we have tools that we can help people with mental health it doesn't have to be a secret and it shouldn't be a Insignia of some type of shame because they have it it's an illness like any other illness we have no control over who we'll have a mental health illness but mental health illnesses can now be treated and done effectively so people can get well the assembly committee also approved a measure establishing a crisis respond pilot program to respond to mental health crises both bills are now pending a full assembly votes for NJ Spotlight News, I am Melissa Rose Cooper