Texas continues to make strides in its commitment to re-envision the legal system and how it responds to people experiencing IDD and involvement with the justice system. Texas House Bill 3834 is the most notable new development in Texas for 2025. Acknowledging that people who experience IDD are disproportionately represented in the legal and carceral system HB 3834 not only changes the name of the program from the Developmentally Disabled Offenders Program, to the Offenders with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities Program, but builds upon the existing program established in 2015 by requiring the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to develop and identify community resources that will assist returning citizens with intellectual disabilities in successfully reintegrating into the community.

In a bold and innovative move, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, in collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental disabilities, created the position of Forensic Liaison—a new role in Cuyahoga. The Forensic liaison is located within the Juvenile Court building. The position is part of the county board of developmental disabilities organization structure and provides oversight, but the liaison will be stationed in the juvenile court. The prevailing idea is that onsite presence creates a seamless collaborative process with interdisciplinary teams throughout the system.

An outgrowth of the Mental Health court established in 2002 this program is the first of its kind in the state of Ohio. The primary role of the forensic liaison will be to:

• Identifying individuals early in the process

• Supporting individuals during court proceedings

• Working with judges, attorneys, and probation officers

• Helping achieve positive outcomes in parole or probation

• Connecting to community-based services for re-entry

A leader in the implementation of the Sequential Intercept Model, Colorado continues to make strides in ensuring that people who experience intellectual and developmental distinctions and/or Autism and become involved with the legal system are doing so in a manner that affirms their dignity and humanity. The sequential intercept model maps out the stages of involvement with the legal system for initial contact to re-entry with the primary goal of keeping people who experience IDD/A out of the system.

In November of 2024, a Sequential Intercept Symposium was held in Denver by the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice in collaboration with the National Criminal Justice Association and Policy Research Associates. Presenters at the symposium Supporting the Nexus of Public Safety, Crisis Response & Behavioral Health included Dr. Abigail Tucker of SHE consulting, and the leadership and staff from one of the event's co-hosts, Policy Research Associates.

In addition to the 2024 symposium, the Colorado Department of Human Services, through its Office of Behavioral Health, has developed a roadmap for improving behavioral health services for individuals in the justice system. This roadmap emphasizes the need for better data collection to track individuals as they move through different intercepts, from community crisis response to re-entry.