Gov. Phil Murphy plans to propose doubling state funding. Partnership program between mental health professionals and police In response to calls for mental health, he is expected to unveil a budget on Tuesday.
Murphy plans to ask the Legislature to approve $20 million in state funding for the program, up from $10 million in the current budget year, which ends June 30.
“These partnerships are saving lives, especially Black and Latino lives. In fact, the number of mass shootings in New Jersey last year was 15 percent, according to excerpts provided to the New Jersey Monitor. It's the lowest it's been in nearly a year,” Murphy is expected to say in his budget speech.
First launched as a pilot program in Cumberland County in 2021, Arrive Together prevents escalating violent behavior when police respond to mental health distress calls and targets people who would otherwise be incarcerated. The aim is to divert patients to mental health treatment.
Since its inception, the program has expanded its reach, first to 10 counties and then to all 21 counties. It is hoped that the additional funding proposed by Mr Murphy will bring Arrive Together to more municipalities.
The program has drawn praise from some observers, who say it has improved de-escalation and that only 2% of calls to Arrive Together involved the use of force. I'm pointing it out.
The Brookings Institution, a left-wing think tank based in Washington, D.C., studied the program and found that an individual's race had no appreciable effect on their response under Arrival Together. New Jersey has the worst racial disparities in prisons in the nation, with more Black adults behind bars. 12x rate About white adults.
“This program has been implemented in all 21 counties and has been an incredible success, and our budget will continue to expand it,” Murphy will say in his speech.
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