Centering suicide prevention at the intersection of health and criminal-legal systems
Official title: The National Center for Health and Criminal-Legal Systems Integration for Suicide Prevention
Funded at Michigan State University · NIH-11419792 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large NIH-funded center is testing how data from police and court interactions can help identify people at risk of suicide and connect them with care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Michigan State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project start | August 22, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $2,911,839 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MH127512-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11419792 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals interacting with the criminal-legal system (e.g., through police contact or arrest) who are at risk of suicide and could benefit from improved linkage to care.
✕Less likely to help
People not connected to criminal-legal system data or those without indicators of suicide risk may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project links criminal-legal system records with health data to spot suicide risk in the general population without needing new data collection. It uses big data approaches to track when individuals move between systems (for example, from police contact to health care) and to trigger prevention steps. The center conducts hybrid studies that look at how well these methods work in real-world settings, including cost and scalability considerations. The goal is to create practical, scalable ways to prevent suicide by using existing records to reach people in need.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lead to earlier identification of suicide risk and more timely connections to care for people involved with the criminal-legal system.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in health data integration has shown promise in identifying at-risk individuals, with ongoing efforts to scale and implement in real-world settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Michigan State University
East Lansing, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Johnson, Jennifer E — Michigan State University
- Study coordinator: Johnson, Jennifer E
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.