Mental Disorders, SevereNCT03740139
The Police-Mental Health Linkage System
A study testing The Police-Mental Health Linkage System in people with Mental Disorders, Severe and Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, run by Columbia University at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The aim of this randomized, controlled trial is to study the effectiveness of a potential new form of pre-arrest jail diversion for people with serious mental illnesses: the Police-Mental Health Linkage System. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Mental Disorders, Severe, Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, Bipolar Disorder
- What is being tested?
- The Police-Mental Health Linkage System
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,405 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 6 Feb 2019to 12 Apr 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Receiving outpatient services from DeKalb, Gateway, Pineland, or Unison Community Service Boards in Georgia
- Able to speak/read English
- Clinical diagnosis of one of the following: psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder
- History of at least one prior arrest within the past 5 years
- Capacity to give informed consent
Who cannot join
- Enrolled in any other research project or currently enrolled in the Opening Doors to Recovery research project
- Known or suspected intellectual disability, mental retardation, or dementia
- Known or suspected autism-spectrum disorder, organic mental disorder, and/or traumatic brain injury
- Significant medical condition compromising ability to participate (e.g., short of breath, in pain)
- Has a guardian
- Received service less than 3 times in the previous year
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
DeKalb Community Service Board
Decatur, Georgia, 30030
Gateway Behavioral Health Services
Savannah, Georgia, 31406
About this study
Official title: A Trial of a Police-Mental Health Linkage System for Jail Diversion and Reconnection to Care
The aim of this randomized, controlled trial is to study the effectiveness of a potential new form of pre-arrest jail diversion for people with serious mental illnesses: the Police-Mental Health Linkage System. In the case of an encounter with a police officer, for half of the participants, during the background check, a message will notify the officer that the subject has mental health considerations. The notice contains a phone number of a provider working at the mental health clinic where the subject is receiving services, who can provide telephonic support to the officer. For the other half of participants, the message will not appear to the officers in the case of an encounter.
Read the detailed description
Fragmentation between mental health (MH) and criminal justice (CJ) systems leads to many persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI) being arrested/incarcerated when MH treatment would be more appropriate. As defined by SAMHSA, the disorders typically meeting criteria for SMI include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, other psychotic disorders, major depressive disorders, and bipolar disorders. This study aims to test the effectiveness of a new police-MH linkage system. This study is a randomized, controlled trial to study the effectiveness of our new services-level intervention. Our "linkage system" piggybacks on the Georgia's criminal justice information system such that a police officer running a routine inquiry (similar to a background check) during an encounter with a consented and enrolled outpatient with a serious mental illness will receive an electronic message to call for information that might assist them. The officer can immediately call and connect to a Linkage Specialist (licensed mental health professional in the local public mental health system where the patient is or was enrolled in outpatient care), who provides brief telephonic support, information, and advice to the officer. The investigators have shown, in the recently completed NIMH-funded R34 intervention development project, that in some cases, a discretionary arrest (i.e., not obligatory, no violence involved) is replaced by informal resolution in light of the new information provided to the officer via the inquiry message and telephonic support from the Linkage Specialist. Furthermore, even more common than jail diversion, many patients involved in a police encounter were reconnected to care (after having fallen out of care and becoming symptomatic). This trial aims to determine whether or not the new linkage system is effective for reducing arrests and reducing discontinuities (gaps) in outpatient mental health care services. Partnering with our CJ partner, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (which houses Georgia's CJ databases/information system), as well as 4 public MH agencies covering 25 counties in Georgia, the investigators will conduct a randomized trial of the linkage system involving 1,600 outpatients with SMI. The investigators will test the hypotheses that patients randomized to the linkage system (as compared to those randomized to a database that does not generate the MH notice and phone number) will: (1) be less likely to be arrested, (2) have fewer arrests (both based on administrative (rap sheet) data provided by GBI), and (3) be less likely to have gaps in outpatient MH services, as evidenced by fewer absences from care of >3 months (based on data from the MH agencies' EMRs).
- Conditions
- Mental Disorders, Severe, Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Depressive Disorder
- Being tested
- The Police-Mental Health Linkage System
- Keywords
- Serious mental illnesses, Pre-arrest jail diversion, Police
- Medical subject headings
- Mental Disorders, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depressive Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
The Police-Mental Health Linkage SystemOther
When, during an encounter, the police officer decides to call the number provided in the notice, the Linkage Specialist (a licensed mental health provider from the mental health service where the subject was recruited, who has access to the clinic's EMR) can provide telephonic support to the officer.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | The Police-Mental Health Linkage System
In the case of an encounter between law enforcement and subjects randomized to this group, the officer will receive a notice disclosing that the participant receives services in a mental health clinic and that he/she has the opportunity to call to speak with a mental health professional. Receives: Other: The Police-Mental Health Linkage System |
| No Intervention | No intervention | In the case of an encounter between law enforcement and subjects randomized to this arm of the study, the officer will not receive any notice. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Lower likelihood of being arrested and lower number of arrests for participants randomized to receive the Police-MH linkage system.
Hypothesis A: Patients randomized to the linkage system will be less likely to be arrested in the 24-month study period than those not in the system, based on administrative (rap) sheet data provided by GBI.
Hypothesis B: Patients randomized to the linkage system will have fewer arrests than controls in that 24-month period.
Measured: 24 months of study enrollment
Secondary outcomes (1)
Lower number of absences from care of >3 months for participants randomized to receive the Police-MH linkage system.
Hypothesis C: Patients randomized to the linkage system will have fewer discontinuities in MH services, as evidenced by fewer absences from care of >3 months, based on clinical encounter data from the Community Service Boards' EMR.
Measured: 24 months of study enrollment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Nov 2018
- Study start6 Feb 2019
- Primary completion12 Apr 2024
- Study completion12 Apr 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Mental Disorders, SevereStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Columbia UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be randomized either to the intervention (the "Linkage System") or to no additional intervention.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 1,405 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Michael Compton, Columbia University
- Investigators
- Michael T Compton, MD, MPH, Principal investigator, Columbia University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03740139
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AAAV1672
- Other IDs
- R01MH117191, NYSPI 7654
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 21 Oct 2018
- Last updated
- 16 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data collected from this clinical trials research will be deposited into the National database for Clinical Trials Related to Mental Illness (NDCT). In order to deposit the data, we will use a consent form that allows broad data sharing within the research community. A global unique identifier (GUID) will be created for each research participant using the software that NIMH will provide. Dr. Compton and Dr. Pauselli will work with NIMH to create data dictionaries that are relevant to their research. We will share our results, positive and negative, specific to the cohorts and outcome measures studied
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Trial of a Police-Mental Health Linkage System for Jail Diversion and Reconnection to Care
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03740139
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AAAV1672
- Conditions
- Mental Disorders, Severe, Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Depressive Disorder
- Keywords
- Serious mental illnesses, Pre-arrest jail diversion, Police
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 1,405 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Columbia UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 6 Feb 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 12 Apr 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 12 Apr 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Nov 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The aim of this randomized, controlled trial is to study the effectiveness of a potential new form of pre-arrest jail diversion for people with serious mental illnesses: the Police-Mental Health Linkage System. In the case of an encounter with a police officer, for half of the participants, during the background check, a message will notify the officer that the subject has mental health considerations. The notice contains a phone number of a provider working at the mental health clinic where the subject is receiving services, who can provide telephonic support to the officer. For the other half of participants, the message will not appear to the officers in the case of an encounter.
Detailed description
Fragmentation between mental health (MH) and criminal justice (CJ) systems leads to many persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI) being arrested/incarcerated when MH treatment would be more appropriate. As defined by SAMHSA, the disorders typically meeting criteria for SMI include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, other psychotic disorders, major depressive disorders, and bipolar disorders. This study aims to test the effectiveness of a new police-MH linkage system. This study is a randomized, controlled trial to study the effectiveness of our new services-level intervention. Our "linkage system" piggybacks on the Georgia's criminal justice information system such that a police officer running a routine inquiry (similar to a background check) during an encounter with a consented and enrolled outpatient with a serious mental illness will receive an electronic message to call for information that might assist them. The officer can immediately call and connect to a Linkage Specialist (licensed mental health professional in the local public mental health system where the patient is or was enrolled in outpatient care), who provides brief telephonic support, information, and advice to the officer. The investigators have shown, in the recently completed NIMH-funded R34 intervention development project, that in some cases, a discretionary arrest (i.e., not obligatory, no violence involved) is replaced by informal resolution in light of the new information provided to the officer via the inquiry message and telephonic support from the Linkage Specialist. Furthermore, even more common than jail diversion, many patients involved in a police encounter were reconnected to care (after having fallen out of care and becoming symptomatic). This trial aims to determine whether or not the new linkage system is effective for reducing arrests and reducing discontinuities (gaps) in outpatient mental health care services. Partnering with our CJ partner, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (which houses Georgia's CJ databases/information system), as well as 4 public MH agencies covering 25 counties in Georgia, the investigators will conduct a randomized trial of the linkage system involving 1,600 outpatients with SMI. The investigators will test the hypotheses that patients randomized to the linkage system (as compared to those randomized to a database that does not generate the MH notice and phone number) will: (1) be less likely to be arrested, (2) have fewer arrests (both based on administrative (rap sheet) data provided by GBI), and (3) be less likely to have gaps in outpatient MH services, as evidenced by fewer absences from care of >3 months (based on data from the MH agencies' EMRs).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be randomized either to the intervention (the "Linkage System") or to no additional intervention.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Other: The Police-Mental Health Linkage SystemThe Police-Mental Health Linkage System In the case of an encounter between law enforcement and subjects randomized to this group, the officer will receive a notice disclosing that the participant receives services in a mental health clinic and that he/she has the opportunity to call to speak with a mental health professional. |
| No Intervention | No intervention | –In the case of an encounter between law enforcement and subjects randomized to this arm of the study, the officer will not receive any notice. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Receiving outpatient services from DeKalb, Gateway, Pineland, or Unison Community Service Boards in Georgia
- Able to speak/read English
- Clinical diagnosis of one of the following: psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder
- History of at least one prior arrest within the past 5 years
- Capacity to give informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Enrolled in any other research project or currently enrolled in the Opening Doors to Recovery research project
- Known or suspected intellectual disability, mental retardation, or dementia
- Known or suspected autism-spectrum disorder, organic mental disorder, and/or traumatic brain injury
- Significant medical condition compromising ability to participate (e.g., short of breath, in pain)
- Has a guardian
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| The Police-Mental Health Linkage SystemWhen, during an encounter, the police officer decides to call the number provided in the notice, the Linkage Specialist (a licensed mental health provider from the mental health service where the subject was recruited, who has access to the clinic's EMR) can provide telephonic support to the officer. | Other | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Lower likelihood of being arrested and lower number of arrests for participants randomized to receive the Police-MH linkage system.
Time frame: 24 months of study enrollment
Hypothesis A: Patients randomized to the linkage system will be less likely to be arrested in the 24-month study period than those not in the system, based on administrative (rap) sheet data provided by GBI. Hypothesis B: Patients randomized to the linkage system will have fewer arrests than controls in that 24-month period.
1 secondary outcome
Lower number of absences from care of >3 months for participants randomized to receive the Police-MH linkage system.
Time frame: 24 months of study enrollment
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Sep 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data collected from this clinical trials research will be deposited into the National database for Clinical Trials Related to Mental Illness (NDCT). In order to deposit the data, we will use a consent form that allows broad data sharing within the research community. A global unique identifier (GUID) will be created for each research participant using the software that NIMH will provide. Dr. Compton and Dr. Pauselli will work with NIMH to create data dictionaries that are relevant to their research. We will share our results, positive and negative, specific to the cohorts and outcome measures studied
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Michael T Compton, MD, MPH principal investigator
Columbia University
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing The Police-Mental Health Linkage System in people with Mental Disorders, Severe and Schizophrenia and Related Disorders, run by Columbia University at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Lower likelihood of being arrested and lower number of arrests for participants randomized to receive the Police-MH linkage system. (time frame: 24 months of study enrollment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Sep 2025.