About Correctional Health Services (CHS)

The Maricopa County Jail system is one of the largest in the country and books approximately 100,000 individuals each year. Correctional Health Services provides a comprehensive list of services which include medical, dental, and mental health services for all individuals incarcerated within the jail system. Correctional Health Services operates a total of 6 jail facilities.

Mission Statement

Correctional Health Services (CHS) is dedicated to providing medically necessary, evidence-based, cost-effective, integrated health care services, competency evaluation, and restoration services to patients in the County jails as they proceed through the judicial process

Vision

Correctional Health Services will continue to evolve as a nationally recognized leader in providing correctional health and restoration services to patients in the County jails so they can proceed through the judicial process.

Smart Justice

Correctional Health Services (CHS) is a member of the Smart Justice Committee which is composed of various county justice agency partners and representation from Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care.

Smart Justice has adopted working goals to reduce recidivism back to the criminal justice system for individuals with a moderate to high risk to recidivate and to reduce length of stay in jail for low risk individuals booked into jail.

Two Smart Justice goals specifically address these aims for the Serious Mental Illness designated population.

Stepping Up

Stepping Up is a national initiative to rally national, state and local leaders around the goal to reduce criminal justice involvement, especially jail and prison time, for individuals dealing with serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

Maricopa County signed a Stepping Up Proclamation in May 2015 and was one of 50 Counties selected to attend the National Stepping Up Summit in April 2016.

Adopted Practices
Correctional Health Services (CHS) has adopted practices to identify these individuals at the initial stages of booking to explore every opportunity to reduce criminal justice involvement for this population.

Our practices include:

  • Continuing and coordinating care from and with community providers
  • Prioritizing community transition planning
  • Targeting and addressing the risk factors that lead to recidivism
  • Developing baseline data so we can track outcomes and measure our success or need to improve our practices to reach the goal

Community Collaboration
We engage in collaborative “Stepping Up” efforts in the community with other behavioral health agencies, family advocates and interested stakeholders to better share information and to advocate for the needs of vulnerable populations to reduce unnecessary criminal justice involvement.

Trauma Informed Care

Correctional Health Services (CHS) provides training to staff regarding the prevalence of trauma exposure in an incarcerated population.

Clinical Care Guidelines for treating trauma survivors have been adopted and implemented. CHS is a trauma informed care facility.

Did you know?

  • At any given time 23% of the individuals in CHS facilities are dealing with Chronic Care conditions, such as Diabetes, Hypertension and Heart Disease
  • At any one time, CHS cares for between 30 and 40 pregnant patients
  • CHS conducts 400 Withdrawal Checks daily
  • CHS receives over 4,000 health care requests monthly
  • The Male to Female Ratio is 7 to 1
  • The Total Average Daily Population is 7,500 individuals
  • Approximately 8.2% of the total daily population are identified with SMI (Serious Mental Illnesses) and approximately another 16% have a significant mental health condition