GENESEO, N.Y., June 17, 2025 — When Livingston County Probation Director Lynne Mignemi and her team begin working with a new juvenile, one of the very first things they do is screen them with a groundbreaking new tool that is transforming how probation departments around the country respond to youths at risk for suicide.
Developed by researchers at Columbia University, e-Connect is a digital decision support system which provides probation officers with real-time screening to identify juveniles at highest risk for suicide or self-harm. The tool connects those youths in crisis with immediate access to the proper mental health care resources based on their needs. Studies show that young people in the juvenile justice system experience suicide rates at two to three times higher than those in the general population. Targeted referrals and earlier intervention have made the tool standout among those probation departments where it is currently in use.
“Probation officers are not clinicians and this tool removes this type of decision making from the probation officer,” explained Mignemi. “Everyone on my team has left the office concerned and worried at one time or another, hoping that youths they’re working with are getting the care they need in a time focused manner. With e-Connect, these young people receive immediate access to care using a research-based risk assessment score. We’re also not traumatizing those who are not at risk with an unnecessary hospital visit.”
Livingston was one of ten pilot counties selected by Columbia University to trial the e-Connect tool in 2018. Since then, its success has become a model for other counties, demonstrating how effective early screening and interagency coordination can be in connecting adolescents with appropriate treatment when it is needed most. The Probation Department recently hosted representatives from the e-Connect creators at Columbia University, along with the Henry County Probation Department from New Castle, Indiana, and the Henry County circuit court judge, for a roundtable discussion on the County’s successful use of the model. Also in attendance were local behavioral health pathway partners that provide youth services from Livingston County Mobile Mental Health, Livingston County Mental Health, and Noyes Mental Health to offer valuable insight on how the pathway process works.
Henry County Probation began using e-Connect in their own operations a year ago and sought to gain insight on the successful use of the tool from Livingston County’s own real-world application. The group covered the importance of collaboration with behavioral health providers, strategies for staff engagement and training, and lessons learned through implementation. The meeting underscored the County’s role as a leader and mentor in suicide prevention and mental health support.
Director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice at Columbia University Dr. Katherine Elkington, PhD, whose team developed e-Connect, praised Livingston County’s remarkable outcomes from the tool.
“As a result of their commitment to e-Connect, Livingston County Probation for the past year has had a perfect referral and treatment initiation rate,” said Elkington. “What this means in real-world terms is that for each youth on probation who is screened with e-Connect and identified as in need of treatment, whether it be for crisis services or traditional outpatient behavioral health care, all of them are referred by probation officers and all of these youth access care. While the features of e-Connect, such as digital screening, real-time scoring of screening results, and pre-determined, locally-defined pathways, are certainly a part of this amazing outcome, the dedication of the probation officers in Livingston County and the commitment to building ongoing collaborations with local behavioral health partners to facilitate entry to treatment is definitely the driving force.”
Elkington stated that e-Connect is currently used in 12 counties in New York State and has so far screened more than 2,500 young people. The tool has identified approximately 1,000 youths who had an unmet behavioral health need, including suicide crisis, of which approximately 780 started in treatment. This is compared to approximately 13% who made it to care before e-Connect was implemented.
Interagency collaboration has been essential to Livingston County’s e-Connect program success. Because the majority of youths often have behavioral health needs identified while on probation, but must access care through community providers, coordination between the Probation Department and local mental and behavioral health agencies is key. With clearly defined referral pathways established, Probation officers can quickly connect at-risk youths with the proper services based on clinical need identified through e-Connect.
Mignemi said the tool has made a tangible difference in how the County’s Probation Department works with and supports youths in the juvenile justice system. At a Division of Criminal Justice Executive Board meeting in December, she joined with the Columbia team to advocate for the e-Connect risk assessment’s adoption and implementation in all 62 New York State counties and New York City. The e-Connect tool is currently used exclusively by probation departments in New York State.
For more, visit the Livingston County Probation Department website or call 585-243-7190
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About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is home to more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.