SOI # 225: Risk and Needs Mental Health Screening Tool

The New York State Unified Court System (UCS) is seeking entities qualified to develop and implement a validated, comprehensive Risk and Needs Mental Health Screening Tool tailored for adult mental health courts. This tool will assess individuals’ mental health status, identify associated risks, and determine specific needs to inform appropriate interventions within the justice system.

UCS currently operates forty (40) Mental Health Courts (MHCs) in twenty-eight (28) counties in New York State, with an anticipated expansion of sites in 2025. MHCs are designed to link justice-involved individuals living with a mental illness to the recommended treatment and community-based services, monitor the individual’s engagement in the services, and successfully divert individuals out of the criminal justice system. Utilizing a screening tool tailored to this specific population will not only enhance outcomes for mental health court participants but also inform data driven policy and practice, improve public safety, and enable the efficient allocation of resources.

The UCS is soliciting expressions of interest from prospective entities to develop and validate a risk and needs mental health screening tool ready for implementation. The selected entity will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive report detailing the development process, validation outcomes, and implementation recommendations, as well as providing training materials and documentation to support practitioners in administering the tool.

UCS seeks letters of interest to provide the services detailed herein for anticipated two (2) year period. From approximately June 1, 2025, to approximately May 31, 2027.

The provider will be responsible for the following:

1. Develop a manual and digital Risk and Needs Mental Health Screening Tool to be used in mental health courts to identify criminogenic risks/needs and risk of violence (RNR/V). Risk of violence includes risk of gun violence and history of gun violence exposure.

2. Conduct and analyze pilot testing in selected jurisdictions in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout New York State to evaluate the tool’s reliability and validity.

3. Develop and deliver comprehensive training sessions for the pilot courts on the proper administration and interpretation of the assessment tool.

4. Offer ongoing technical assistance support to the pilot court sites to address challenges and questions during the initial implementation phase.

5. Establish a system for users to provide feedback on the tool’s functionality and effectiveness, and update tool as needed.

6. Submit a comprehensive report detailing the development process, validation outcomes, and implementation recommendations.

To indicate interest in and eligibility to provide these services, please complete the form on the following page and send:

-The form appended to this Solicitation of Interest.

-A line-item budget

-A letter of interest to:

Bridget McAvoy

bmcavoy@nycourts.gov

To receive consideration, the letter of interest must include a brief description of any prior experience providing these services and capacity, including qualifications on an organizational level, to provide the specified deliverables required.

Letters of interest and forms are due to the email address above by 2pm on March 10, 2025.