The Cherokee County Commission Supports “Stepping Up” Initiative

The Cherokee County Commission recently adopted a resolution encouraging support of an initiative known as Stepping Up – which is dedicated to reducing the numbers of prison and jail inmates suffering from mental illness.

Cherokee County Commissioner Marcie Foster recently spoke with WEIS Radio News about some of the goals of that program:

 

Foster says caring for inmates suffering with mental issues complicates the already difficult job of housing prisoners.

She stated studies have proven that rural county jails are hardest hit by mentally ill inmates and two-thirds of those in jail that are mentally ill also have a substance abuse problem – so you have a lot of people with both things going on, and both need treatment.  Often it seems as though county jails are being forced to act as a mental health facility but are capable only of “holding people” and the system itself tends to create its own set of problems – however, there has recently been some good news on that front:

 

Foster went on to say that the “revolving door” aspect of the situation affects everyone, and that includes taxpayers.  In addition to the cost of medication there are the simple everyday costs associated with inmate care including basic necessities, uniforms and food.   

With implementation of this new Stepping Up initiative, Foster says hopefully real change is finally just around the corner.

 

https://stepuptogether.org/

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHEROKEE COUNTY COMMISSION ADOPTS RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION IN STEPPING UP INITIATIVE

The Cherokee County Commission has adopted a resolution joining the call to action and encouraging participation in an initiative called “Stepping Up”.

Stepping Up is a nationwide initiative dedicated to reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in jails and prisons. 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.

Each year, there are an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses admitted to jails across the nation1. Almost three-quarters of these adults also have drug and alcohol use problems2. Once incarcerated, individuals with mental illnesses tend to stay longer in jail and upon release are at a higher risk of returning to incarceration than those without these illnesses3.

Jails spend two to three times more money on adults with mental illnesses that require intervention than on those without those needs, yet often do not see improvements to public safety or these individuals’ health4. Although counties have made tremendous efforts to address this problem, they are often thwarted by significant obstacles, including operating with minimal resources and needing better coordination between criminal justice, mental health, substance use treatment, and other agencies.  Without change, large numbers of people with mental illnesses will continue to cycle through the criminal justice system, often resulting in tragic outcomes for these individuals and their families, missed opportunities for connections to treatment, inefficient use of funding, and a failure to improve public safety.

A major component of the Stepping Up initiative is the Call to Action. The Call to Action demonstrates strong local and state leadership and the commitment to planning that will achieve results for jails in counties of any size. As part of the Call to Action, elected officials are asked to work with other leaders, people with mental illnesses and their advocates, and other stakeholders on the following actions:

  • Collect and review prevalence numbers and assess individuals’ needs to better identify adults entering jails with mental illnesses and their recidivism risk, and use that baseline information to guide decision making at the system, program, and case levels.
  • Examine treatment and service capacity to determine which programs and services are available in the county for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders, and identify state and local policy and funding barriers to minimizing contact with the justice system and providing treatment and supports in the community.
  • Develop a plan with measurable outcomes that draws on the jail assessment and prevalence data and the examination of available treatment and service capacity, while considering identified barriers.
  • Implement research-based approaches that advance the plan.
  • Create a process to track progress using data and information systems and to report on successes.

 

The Commission will partner with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the DA Office, local judges, The Cherokee Etowah Dekalb (CED) Mental Health organization, and the local NAMI organization.  Commissioner Marcie Foster said, “We are going to be working on creating better access to services within the community”. She continued, “We will try to improve pre-jail diversion techniques—training may be available for our Sheriff’s Office.  Officers who have knowledge on mental illness will be able to better recognize and respond to a mental health crisis. We will also try to increase services and opportunities for assistance to those who are in jail to help them address problems and, hopefully, prevent a return trip. We are hopeful that this program will benefit county in 2 ways—by increasing the availability of services to those who need them and by reducing the jail population (and therefore the jail cost).”

The Commission will research the strategies of other counties to see what may work well for Cherokee County. Stakeholders will play key roles in meeting the needs of this system and in identifying those coming into the jail with mental illnesses.

Anyone that is interested in the project is encouraged to contact the County Commission Office or marciefoster@cherokeecounty-al.gov.

____________________________________________

State of Alabama
County of Cherokee


RESOLUTION

“Stepping Up Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails”

WHEREAS, counties routinely provide treatment services to the estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses booked into jail each year; and

WHEREAS, prevalence rates of serious mental illnesses in jails are three to six times higher than for the general population; and

WHEREAS, almost three-quarters of adults with serious mental illnesses in jails have co-occurring substance use disorders; and

WHEREAS, adults with mental illnesses tend to stay longer in jail and upon release are at a higher risk of recidivism than people without these disorders; and

WHEREAS, county jails spend two to three times more on adults with mental illnesses that require interventions compared to those without these treatment needs; and

WHEREAS, without the appropriate treatment and services, people with mental illnesses continue to cycle through the criminal justice system, often resulting in tragic outcomes for these individuals and their families; and

WHEREAS, CHEROKEE COUNTY and all counties take pride in their responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare and safety of its residents in efficient and cost-effective ways; and

WHEREAS, through Stepping Up , the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation are encouraging public, private and nonprofit partners to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails;

NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, by the CHEROKEE COUNTY COMMISSION, do hereby sign on to the Call to Action to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in our county jail, commit to sharing lessons learned with other counties in my state and across the country to support a national initiative and encourage all county officials, employees and residents to participate in Stepping Up.  We resolve to utilize the comprehensive resources available through Stepping Up to:

  • 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.
  • Collect and review prevalence numbers and assess individuals’ needs to better identify adults entering jails with mental illnesses and their recidivism risk, and use that baseline information to guide decision making at the system, program, and case levels.
  • Examine treatment and service capacity to determine which programs and services are available in the county for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders, and identify state and local policy and funding barriers to minimizing contact with the justice system and providing treatment and supports in the community.
  • Develop a plan with measurable outcomes that draws on the jail assessment and prevalence data and the examination of available treatment and service capacity, while considering identified barriers.
  • Implement research-based approaches that advance the plan.
  • Create a process to track progress using data and information systems, and to report on successes.

 

PASSED AND APPROVED in this 14th day of August, 2017.

 

_____________________________

Kirk Day, Chairman

_____________________________
Randy Jones, District I                                                         

_____________________________

Kimball Parker, District II

_____________________________

Marcie Foster, District III                    

_____________________________
Carlton Teague, District IV

 

 

 

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print