Minutes 05-14-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Pelissier said she attended a conference in Buncombe County, where the jail has in-house drug case management. She said this saves money by preventing future arrests. She said this proves it is not just about jail diversion programs but also what can be done during incarceration to prevent future arrests. She said that mental health services are also key in keeping inmates from multiple incarcerations. She said that she realizes the state is the primary party responsible for funding of mental health services, and there have been several cutbacks. She questioned if there are other things that can be done to address this. Steve Allan said this is now an added to-do list. He said of the three major jail systems, federal has the lowest population with mental illness, followed by state. Local county jails have the highest population of mental illness. He said that there are many dictates from the federal level, yet the local level is dealing with the results of the state mental health cutbacks. Steve Allen said that the professionals working in these programs know what works and what doesn't. He said that he is happy to partner with a work group and facilitate the discussion of what works, what doesn't, and why. He said there is a difference in what sounds good and what works, and you don't know until you dig in and find out the facts. He said there are a lot of pre-release mental health programs and the results do tend to be better. Steve Allen said this is a comprehensive process and there will be a lot of discussion. He said he will be happy to discuss with staff where bullet points are to be added. He said the Board of County Commissioners has brought up more than what he had discussed with staff, but he is happy to help. Chair Jacobs said this is a Board of County Commissioners decision on the shape of the study. Commissioner McKee said that with the stakeholders and staff upholding and defending their perceptions of the County needs as part of the Emergency Services work group, it would have been a circular discussion without the direction of Steve Allan. He said that the discussion would not have progressed to the point that it did. He feels this issue will have positions that people hold strongly due to individual viewpoints and perceptions based on differing jobs in the justice system. He said the Emergency Services work group was a board driven decision. He said that as the scope of services expands, the cost will also expand. Commissioner Rich said she is interested in how the Board of County Commissioners views this work group and who is involved. She is unclear on who is involved and who the stakeholders would be. Commissioner Price asked, if the Board decides to proceed with more alternative programs, how will these will be funded. Chair Jacobs said you need to look at what the alternatives are and then you look at the costs, both socially and financially. Commissioner Price said she feels that the measurement of the social cost, and what is done for society, is very important. Frank Clifton said his thoughts would be that a couple of Board of County Commissioners would be involved in these proposed meetings as part of the process. He said that the included list only has the outsiders who will be involved. He said within their resources available to fund these programs, the County needs to look at which programs will get the most impact or "bang for their buck". Chair Jacobs said there are three things to add: 1. Clarity on what the deliverables are; 2. Clearer articulation on how to minimize the number of jail beds; and 3. Clear articulation regarding who the stakeholders are. He suggested this be brought back to the board for final approval; then the stakeholders can assess whether the scope is sufficient or if there is need to analyze more programs. He said stakeholders can then check in with the Board before doing the work group process with Steve Allan. He said the group could also propose, along with Steve Allan, a