Florida Scheduled To Implement New Mental Health Diversion Law, The Tristin Murphy Act

On October 1, 2025, Florida was scheduled to implement a new law, the “Tristin Murphy Act,” creating diversion pathways for people with mental illnesses as an alternative to incarceration. Under this law, counties and municipalities can establish misdemeanor mental health diversion programs and pretrial felony diversion programs, routing people into care.

The Act expands the focus of the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program to veteran treatment court programs and emergency responder training, according to the state. For individuals with a history of incompetency adjudications, it requires mental health evaluations before being placed on probation.

Provisions . . .