Westchester’s Behavioral Health Diversion Continuum: A Roadmap Through the Justice System

• By: Joseph A. Glazer, Esq. Michelle Hart, MA Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health
• October 12th, 2026
• behavioral health diversion, co-occurring disorders, community corrections, criminal justice, Fall 2026 Issue, mental health courts, reentry services, Sequential Intercept Model, Westchester County
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The intersection of the criminal justice and behavioral health systems is neither a point nor a straight line. Rather, the overlap of these systems is a continuum; one in which the inflection points of systemic cross-contact can be identified and potentially addressed. The clearest tool for...

The NYSPA Report – Treatment Before Arrest: Why Diversion Begins With Engagement

• By: Mardoche Sidor, MD Urban Pathways
• October 12th, 2026
• behavioral health diversion, criminal legal system, Fall 2026 Issue, mental health courts, pre-arrest diversion, Sequential Intercept Model, serious mental illness, therapeutic engagement, trauma-informed care
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When psychiatrists discuss behavioral health diversion, we usually mean redirecting a person away from arrest, jail, or prosecution and toward treatment. Mental health courts, crisis-response programs, and alternatives to incarceration are essential; yet if diversion begins only after...