The Barry County Board of Commissioners today approved the establishment of the Barry County Stepping Up Task Force, a jail diversion program for individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance addiction to lower their involvement with the criminal justice system and reduce recidivism.
Ashley James, jail diversion services manager and Richard Thiemky, executive director of the Barry County Community Mental Health Authority presented the concept to commissioners on March 20.
The authority was awarded a Jail Diversion Pilot Program grant in December of 2013, Thiemky said. “One of the benefits of the grant is the enhanced collaboration between Barry County Community Mental Health, local law enforcement and jail providers. The statistics prove that the pilot program is benefiting Barry County residents.”
A study conducted by Michigan State University indicated BCCMHA has seen a 17 percent increase in treatment engagement, meaning more people are receiving treatment for their mental health needs. The increased treatment led to 38 percent of the individuals in the Jail Diversion Pilot Program never returning to jail or prison, James said.
The Barry County Stepping Up Task Force, with 13 members from eight county agencies, will coordinate a county-wide strategy with existing personnel. The group will review current practices and adopt policies, programs and practices that will reduce the number of people with mental illness booked into jail, increase connections to treatment, reduce the length of time spent in jail and reduce recidivism.
Barry County is already known as a model for other counties in the state for streamlining and unifying its court system and initiating an Adult Drug Court, Sobriety Court and Swift & Sure Sanctions Probation program.
Task force members will be representatives from the Barry County Board of Commissioners, Barry County courts, Barry County Sheriff’s Office and Jail, Barry County Community Mental Health Authority, Barry Central Dispatch, Hastings Police Department, Michigan State Police, Barry County office of Michigan Health and Human Services, Barry County United Way, Child Protective Services, and consumers, or their advocates.//
Nationwide, an estimated two million people with mental illness, three quarters of those with substance abuse disorders, are booked into county jails. They tend to stay longer, have a higher rate of returning, and jail administrators spend two to three times more on those with mental illness, according to the national organization, StepUpTogether.
“Federal and state policy and funding barriers, along with limited opportunities for law enforcement training and arrest alternatives in many communities have made community and other local jails the de facto mental health hospitals for people who cannot access appropriate community based mental health treatment and services,” the national StepUpTogether organization said.
The Barry County task force will use resources from StepUpTogether, including monthly webinars and networking calls, education workshops, a project coordinator handbook, guidance on measuring the number of people with mental illness in jails, and more.
“There will be fewer people with mental illness in our jails tomorrow than there were today,” is their goal.
