Integrating Employment and Mental Health Services: Implementation of the Individual Placement and Support Model for Adults with Justice Involvement
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Key Findings
Overall, we found IPS-AJI was implemented as designed and that the IPS employment services in IPS-AJI cost $4,776 per participant. Implementation of employer partnership development was particularly strong. The biggest challenge the mental health centers faced was recruiting adults with justice involvement into the program and engaging them in mental health services, which is required for them to receive IPS-AJI employment services. Because there is a strong contrast between the employment services IPS-AJI offers and the employment services otherwise available through the mental health centers or in the community, the NextGen Project’s impact evaluation is well-poised to detect impacts on employment and related outcomes. The first impact report, covering a six-month follow-up period, is expected to be released in fall 2026; another report, covering an 18-month follow-up period, is expected in fall 2027.
This report discusses findings from a descriptive and cost study of Individual Placement and Support for Adults with Justice Involvement (IPS-AJI). This employment program serves adults with mental health conditions who are reentering the community after incarceration or who have received an alternative sentence from the justice system, such as fines and restitution or community service. The program is part of the Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project, which seeks to rigorously evaluate employment strategies designed to help people with low incomes facing complex challenges to secure a pathway toward economic independence. The report explores the design, implementation, and cost of IPS-AJI, which is an evidence-based model that aims to help people with serious mental illness find and work at competitive jobs of their choosing. IPS-AJI was implemented in community mental health centers in the Midwest and South and combined mental health services with rapid job search and individualized job development and post-employment support. A key component of the program was ensuring the development of relationships between program staff and employers to connect program participants with job opportunities.
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