OBJECTIVE: This study compared criminal justice involvement of veterans before and after receiving services from community-based programs of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (N=1,640) or a state Department of Mental Health (DMH) (N= 693). METHODS: Anonymous extracts from VHA, DMH, and statewide criminal charging databases were analyzed by probabilistic population estimation to determine criminal charging rates in the years before and after the year of service receipt in each system of care. RESULTS: Veterans who received DMH services experienced a greater reduction in the rate of criminal charging than veterans who received VHA services (43% and 17% reductions). For veterans with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, rates were reduced 33% among VHA service recipients, whereas they increased 48% among DMH service recipients. CONCLUSIONS: These differences indicate that the design of veterans' behavioral health service delivery systems would benefit from cross-sector outcome measures that complement clinical measures such as those used nationally by the VHA.
OBJECTIVE: This study compared criminal justice involvement of veterans before and after receiving services from community-based programs of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (N=1,640) or a state Department of Mental Health (DMH) (N= 693). METHODS: Anonymous extracts from VHA, DMH, and statewide criminal charging databases were analyzed by probabilistic population estimation to determine criminal charging rates in the years before and after the year of service receipt in each system of care. RESULTS: Veterans who received DMH services experienced a greater reduction in the rate of criminal charging than veterans who received VHA services (43% and 17% reductions). For veterans with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, rates were reduced 33% among VHA service recipients, whereas they increased 48% among DMH service recipients. CONCLUSIONS: These differences indicate that the design of veterans' behavioral health service delivery systems would benefit from cross-sector outcome measures that complement clinical measures such as those used nationally by the VHA.