Agenda - 09-01-2015 - 4c - Laserfiche WebLink

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THE 1Z U TEPPING . P Attachment 1 3 I N I T I A T I V E STEPPING UP: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails THERE WAS A TIME WHEN NEWS OF JAILS serving more people with mental illnesses than in-patient treatment facilities was shocking. Now,it is not surprising to hear that jails across the nation serve an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses each year'—almost three-quarters of whom also have substance use disorders'—or that the prevalence of people with serious mental illnesses in jails is three to six times higher than for the general population.' Once incarcerated, they tend to stay longer in jail and upon release are at a higher risk of returning than individuals without these disorders. The human toll—and its cost to taxpayers—is staggering.Jails spend two to three times more on adults with mental illnesses that require intervention than on people without those needs,'yet often do not see improvements in recidivism or recovery. Despite counties'tremendous efforts to address this problem, they are often thwarted by significant obstacles, such as coordinating multiple systems and operating with minimal resources.Without change, large numbers of people with mental illnesses will continue to cycle through the criminal justice system, often resulting in missed opportunities to link them to treatment, tragic outcomes, inefficient use of funding, and failure to improve public safety. The National Initiative Recognizing the critical role local and state officials play in supporting change, the National Association of Counties (NACo), the Council of State Governments (CSG) justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Foundation (APF�have come together to lead a national initiative to help advance counties' efforts to reduce the number of adults with mental and co-occurring substance use disorders in jails.With support from the U.S.Justice Department's Bureau of justice Assistance, the initiative will build on the many innovative and proven practices being implemented across the country. The initiative engages a diverse group of organizations with expertise on these issues, including those representing sheriffs, jail administrators, judges, community corrections professionals, treatment providers, people with mental illnesses and their families, mental health and substance use program directors, and other stakeholders. The initiative is about creating a long-term, national movement—not a moment in time—to raise awareness of the factors contributing to the over-representation of people with mental illnesses in jails, and then using practices and strategies that work to drive those numbers down. The initiative has two key components: 1. A CALL TO ACTION demonstrating strong county and state leadership and a shared commitment to a multi-step planning process that can achieve concrete results for jails in counties of all sizes. The Call to Action is more than a vague promise for reform;it focuses on developing an actionable Plan that can be used to achieve county and state system changes. As part of this Call to Action, county elected officials are being asked to pass a resolution and work with other leaders (e.g., the sheriff, district attorney, treatment providers, and state policymakers), people with mental illnesses and their advocates, and other stakeholders on the following six actions: • Convene or draw on a diverse team of leaders and decision makers from multiple agencies committed to safely reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. P�C American Psychiatric NACO National Association of Counties JUSTICE*CENTER • 1 Foundation Research.Edi¢atioa impact THE COUNCIL OF STATE ho-.r.r;.;:.r.,. x STA 40 ® Collaborative Approacbes to Public Safety Bureau of Justice Assistance U.S.Department of Justice