Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP)

Overview: The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program provides funding for to assist state, local, and tribal efforts to prevent or reduce gun violence and violent crime through proactive violence prevention and intervention strategies.

Eligibility: To be eligible for funding under this grant program, an applicant must be a(n):

State Agency
Unit of Local Government (i.e., city, county, town)
Tribal Government
Private Nonprofit Organization, including Faith-based Organizations
Certified or Tribal Victim Services Program

SCIP Funding Priorities:

The SCIP Board has established specific priority areas for the 2024 funds. Only applications within these areas will be considered. The list below contains links to resources and more information for the program examples provided.

1. Behavioral Health Deflection for Those At-Risk to Themselves and Others

This priority is focused on supporting initiatives that provide behavioral health deflection and assertive community treatment. The following programs are examples of the types of programs to be funded:

- Mobile Crisis Teams consist of mental/behavioral health professionals who can respond to crisis situations in the community, provide on-site assessments, provide de-escalation, and refer to appropriate services, with a goal of diverting individuals from unnecessary hospitalizations and connecting them to community-based support.
- Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program & Training: CIT equips law enforcement officers with the knowledge and skills to effectively respond to individuals experiencing crisis. CIT also builds coordinated community systems consisting of law enforcement, mental/behavioral health professionals, individuals with lived experience and their families, and community partners to respond to crisis by connecting individuals to resources rather than placement in the criminal justice system.
- Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI) employing trusted, credible messengers in targeted communities to build relationships with those at the highest risk of committing violence and intervene to resolve conflicts before they escalate to violence.
- Crisis Stabilization Services offer short-term residential care that provides a safe and supportive environment for individuals experiencing acute mental health crises for stabilization, assessment, and access to appropriate follow-up care.
- Peer Support Programs employ individuals with lived experience to provide support, empathy, and guidance to others going through mental/behavioral health challenges have been integrated into crisis response efforts in a number of communities across the state.
- Behavioral Threat Assessment Programs and Related Training is a fact-based, systematic process designed to identify, assess, and manage potentially dangerous or violent situations and associated training.
- Technological Supports, such as smartphone applications to help families and patients navigate mental health and related systems and telehealth initiatives, including technology solutions for telehealth visits outside the hospital.
- Specialized Training for Individuals who serve or provide training for families who are in crisis.
- School Threat Assessment Teams that allow schools to identify students who are at risk of committing violence and connect them with mental health services.
- Increase the use of Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) by law enforcement through awareness and available training on the use of LAP.

2. Funding to Promote and/or Provide Safe Storage Options for Unsecured Firearms

This priority aims at enhancing the law enforcement sector's capacity to deal with firearm violence and related issues. It includes:

- Safe storage options for individuals and businesses.
- Software/technologies to track relinquished guns.
- Development and delivery of specialized training and overtime for officers to attend training.
- Funding for law enforcement to safely track, store, and return relinquished firearms.
- Gun safety training for community members
- Training for school resource officers on identifying youth at risk for firearm violence.

3. Court Based Programming to identify, triage, and connect court-involved people in crisis with services

Expand the capacity of existing drug, mental health, and veteran treatment courts including to assist clients who are most likely to commit or become victims of gun violence.
Implementing or expanding domestic violence courts focused on those at risk for gun related violence.
Embedded social workers in prosecutors, public defenders, and/or court agencies to provide screening, assessment, and referral to services for people in crisis such as court-based navigators.
Prosecutor, pretrial, or court diversion programs.
Development and implementation or validated gun risk assessment tools, enhancement of existing tools, and service case management and navigation programs to assess the risks and needs of clients and connect them to critical services to mitigate their risk of gun violence and enhance their access to effective interventions.
Community courts that connect people in crisis with community resources.
Programming and training on domestic violence cases and related protection orders, including relinquishment of firearms.
Threat assessment training for prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and public defenders.

Grant Notification: To be placed on the mailing list to receive a Notice of Availability of Funds (NOAF) when funds become available for future applications, e-mail the Federal Grants Division at dac-grants@dac.state.ok.us and provide your name, agency name, mailing address, and grant name for which you want to receive the Notice of Availability of Funds.

Additional Resources:

OK CARES Behavioral Threat Assessment Toolkit

Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM): Tips for K-12 Schools

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Core Elements

Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Fact Sheet

Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model

Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) Template

Redesigning Public Safety: Mental Health Emergency Response

Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

The Oklahoma Lethality Assessment Study

Tips for Successfully Implementing Crisis Stabilization Units

How to Apply: You may download a copy of the application using the link below. Please read the instructions carefully.