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The Judges' Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative (JLI) is a collaborative initiative coordinated by the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the CMHS National GAINS Center. As co-coordinators, the GAINS Center and CSG provide resources to judges interested in spearheading efforts to improve the criminal justice response to people with mental illnesses. Since judges are in a unique position to serve as catalysts for developing improved responses to people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, the JLI is designed to bring together those judges who have been leaders on this issue, reach out to those who are not yet involved, and to facilitate collaboration between judges and other community stakeholders.

The initiative is co-chaired by Judge Steven Leifman, Associate Administrative Judge, Miami Dade County, Florida and Justice Kathryn Zenoff of the Illinois Appellate Court in Rockford, Illinois. Activities of the JLI are open to any judge interested in improving justice responses to persons with mental illness. There is no requirement to join and there are no fees associated with participation.

The JLI has worked to develop the Judges' Guide to Mental Health Jargon, a resource for judges involved with criminal justice/mental health initiatives. The Jargon Guide is a tabbed, quick reference guide to the mental health terms most often encountered in criminal justice settings. In its first year, over 5,000 guides were distributed throughout the United States, with an additional 2,500 since the fall of 2008. Visit the publications section of the GAINS website to order copies of the Judges' Guide to Mental Health Jargon.

	The CMHS National GAINS Center
	Gains@prainc.com    800.311.GAIN
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