Introduction To
The Rochester FACT Model
The Rochester Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (R-FACT) model was developed at the University of Rochester by Dr. J. Steven Lamberti and Dr. Robert L. Weisman, beginning with Project Link in 1995. After Project Link received the American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award in 1999, they discovered that similar programs were operating across the United States. Drs. Lamberti and Weisman then conducted the first national study of these models. Their resulting 2004 publication introduced the term "forensic assertive community treatment" into the mental health literature.
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This paper became the first published study of FACT, and it highlighted inconsistencies in how FACT programs were designed, staffed and implemented. To address this issue, Drs. Lamberti and Weisman secured support from the National Institute of Mental Health to design and test a standardized FACT model – now known as the Rochester FACT model (R-FACT).
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R-FACT combines best practices in community mental health and crime prevention through four key elements:
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A high-fidelity ACT core
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Identification and targeting of criminogenic needs
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Use of legal authority to promote engagement
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Mental health-criminal justice collaboration for problem solving and therapeutic alternatives to punishment
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A randomized controlled trial of R-FACT demonstrated reduced convictions, jail time, and hospitalizations, along with improved engagement in outpatient mental health services. Published in 2017, these results remain the strongest evidence of FACT effectiveness in the mental health literature to date.