Improving Mental Healthcare in the Re-Entry System Act of 2025
The Improving Mental Healthcare in the Re-Entry System Act of 2025 would create a nationwide grant program led by the Department of Justice (Attorney General) to implement mental health screenings for people entering detention centers and to refer those with identified needs to mental health providers around the time of release. It requires States and localities to hire dedicated mental health liaison staff for each eligible detention center, develop implementation plans, and collaborate with an advisory board and independent researchers to evaluate program impact. The Bureau of Prisons would implement a substantially similar program. Funding would be provided through annual appropriations (2026–2030), with most money allotted as grants to federal prisons, state prisons, and local jails, plus separate allocations for evaluation and administration. The law also establishes a framework for ongoing evaluation using rigorous study designs to measure effects on crime outcomes, employment, and mental healthcare use. In short, the bill aims to expand mental health screening at intake and after release, improve access to treatment for incarcerated individuals, and build an evidence base on whether these efforts reduce crime and improve economic outcomes after release.
Key Points
- 1Grant program and intake screening: Within 90 days of enactment, the Attorney General would create a competitive grant program to fund mental health screenings at detention centers and referrals to providers before or just after release.
- 2Staffing, plans, and data sharing: States/localities receiving grants must hire a dedicated mental health liaison for each eligible detention center (or cover multiple centers with one liaison if allowed). They must submit implementation plans and partner with an independent research organization to evaluate outcomes, sharing relevant data with the Advisory Board and researchers.
- 3Outreach and referral process: An outreach team (mental health professionals, jail/prison staff, and the liaison) would coordinate referrals for individuals identified as needing care, with immediate notification of release dates and structured contact attempts (in-person before release if possible; followed by phone calls within 24–48 hours after release, plus at least three additional attempts or in-person visits to the residence if needed).
- 4Advisory Board and oversight: An Advisory Board would be created to approve plans, monitor compliance, provide technical assistance, publish evaluation results, and coordinate a working group of providers and officials to share best practices. It can adjust funding or require changes if programs don’t meet requirements.
- 5Evaluation requirements and methods: Independent research organizations would conduct impact evaluations (1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year horizons) using randomized or quasi-experimental designs to assess effects on arrest/arraignment/incarceration rates, employment/wage rates, and mental health service use. States would supply needed data from public safety and labor departments; mental health utilization data would come from providers and outreach efforts. A central database would compile these findings to guide future policy.
- 6Funding and distribution: Authorized funding rises from $100 million in FY2026 to $140 million in FY2030. About 90% of funds go to the grant program (split roughly 20% to the Bureau of Prisons, 20% to states, 50% to localities). 5% funds evaluation activities and 5% funds the Advisory Board’s operations and technical assistance.