INNOVATION in public defense
Kalamazoo Defender is committed to advancing innovative approaches that strengthen both legal advocacy and community well-being. Our work recognizes that many individuals who enter the criminal legal system are also navigating complex challenges such as untreated mental health conditions, trauma, and limited access to care.
Through collaborative programs and partnerships, we are helping develop new models that better respond to these realities while strengthening defense outcomes.
HOW kalamazoo defender is addressing mental health in indignent defense
The Addressing Mental Health in Indigent Defense initiative was created to ensure that individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges receive appropriate support while navigating the legal system.
Through this initiative, Kalamazoo Defender integrated behavioral health screening and service navigation directly into the defense process. This allows our multidisciplinary teams to identify needs early and connect clients with appropriate community resources.
This strengthens holistic defense by ensuring that mental health needs are recognized as an important part of effective legal advocacy.
EARLY IDENTIFICATION
Behavioral health screenings help identify individuals who may benefit from additional support or treatment.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ADVOCACY
Attorneys, mitigation specialists, and client navigators collaborate to incorporate behavioral health considerations into defense strategies.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Clients are connected to community-based providers who offer counseling, treatment, and supportive services.
STRONGER OUTCOMES
By addressing behavioral health needs early, AMHID helps improve legal outcomes while supporting long-term stability.
Looking forward
Kalamazoo Defender continues to work with partners across Michigan to explore how holistic defense and behavioral health integration can strengthen public defense systems statewide.
By combining legal advocacy, behavioral health awareness, and community collaboration, we are helping build a justice system that better responds to the needs of individuals and communities.
KD has screened more than 1,400 clients using the Computerized Adaptive Test for Mental Health (CAT-MH®), while also assessing social determinants of health such as housing stability, food security, transportation access, and employment barriers.
Approximately 35–40% of screened individuals resulted in referrals or connections to behavioral health services, substance use treatment, case management, or stabilization supports.
Screening results have facilitated nearly 300 comprehensive follow-up assessments, including mental health evaluations, substance use assessments, domestic violence assessments, and other specialized evaluations that informed treatment planning, safety planning, stabilization efforts, and legal advocacy.
Using a conservative estimate of two to four individuals affected by each case, KD’s work may directly or indirectly impact an estimated 30,000–50,000 family members, caregivers, and community members throughout Kalamazoo County each year. This broader reach underscores why improving behavioral health access is also a community health and prevention strategy.