Discussion held on local Community Connections Program
On Wednesday, the Manchester Police Department held a community discussion on the Community Connections Program, an alternative to the criminal justice system for criminal offenders with mental health issues.
MANCHESTER, NH – On Wednesday, the Manchester Police Department held a community discussion on the Community Connections Program, an alternative to the criminal justice system for criminal offenders with mental health issues.
Led by Gavin O’Brien and Savannah Summers of the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester the discussion on Wednesday provided an overview of this program, which shares similarities to the state’s drug courts and young adult courts as ways to help convicts in certain at-risk groups to find accountability while also finding a way out of the state’s correction system.
Better known as CCP, the Community Connections Program started in Nashua in 2006 and came to Manchester in 2013, initially through grant funding and now through money from Hillsborough County. Currently the program serves 29 individuals and has served 49 individuals to date in 2024, saving a total of 1,915 jail days, $281,510 in expenses related to housing those individuals in jail and $115,330 in medication cost savings.
Participation in the program is voluntary, lasts a year and can only occur when all parties related to a case believe it is an appropriate course of action. Individuals participating in the program receive access to mental health treatment and reduced or suspended sentences if they can fulfill obligations such as therapy sessions and following probation guidelines. In addition to the cost savings from not incarcerating the individuals in the program, society at large also can potentially receive a correction of the behavior previously displayed by the individual which can pose a risk to the community.
Not everyone is eligible for the program, such as those not competent to stand trial, those who have certain mental illnesses such as anti-social behavior disorder, and anyone not willing to accept responsibility for their crimes. The individual must also be over 18, charged with a crime in Manchester or northern Hillsborough County and provide a correlation between their mental health diagnosis and their alleged criminal behavior.
More information on the program can be found on the New Hampshire Judicial Branch website.
