Michigan leads effort to reduce number of mentally ill in county jails, state prisons

There are currently a dispro­portionately high number of people with mental illnesses, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and homelessness in local jails.

Individuals with mental ill­nesses in jails face significant challenges, including access to psychiatric and medical treat­ment, longer incarceration stays, higher recidivism rates, more criminogenic risk factors and increased risk of bodily harm. It is with this in mind that Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) signed an executive order in 2013 forming the Michigan Mental Health Diversion Council.

The Mental Health Diver­sion Council brings together 14 members representing state and local agencies that could effect meaningful and timely change. It includes representatives from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Corrections, the State Court Administrative Office, the judi­ciary, mental health advocacy, local community mental health boards, court administration, law enforcement, attorneys and re-entry experts, among others.

In 2014, Snyder signed another executive order expanding the council to include four new seats that would represent juvenile justice as well. The charge of this body is to come up with recommendations to help divert people with mental illnesses out of jail and into treatment when appropriate.

An Action Plan was drawn up to address five main goals:

• strengthen pre-booking diver­sion for individuals with mental illness
• ensure quality, effective and comprehensive behavioral health treatment in jails and prisons
• expand post-booking jail diversion options for individuals with mental illness
• reduce unnecessary incar­ceration or re-incarceration of individuals with mental ill­ness, and
• establish an ongoing mechanism to coordinate and assist with implementa­tion of Action Plan goals and to facilitate needed systems changes.

One of the major action steps out of that Action Plan was to implement pilot sites around the state that would come up with innovative, cost effective, sustainable and replicable ways to help divert people with mental illnesses away from jails and into appropriate treatment. Pilot sites for the in­augural launch in 2014 included participation from St. Joseph, Detroit/Wayne, Kalamazoo and Marquette counties. These sites demonstrated such jail diversion techniques as:

• 40-hour crisis intervention training for local law enforcement in their communities
• crisis residential facilities
• precinct-based diversion
• increased assessment, screen­ing opportunities, and
• a diversion center built right into an existing sheriff ’s office.

In 2015, pilot sites expanded to include the participation of Mon­roe, Kent, Berrien, Oakland and Barry counties as well as expand­ing on the efforts in Kalamazoo and Marquette. This round of pilots implemented jail diversion techniques such as:

• expanded stable housing upon release
• crisis intervention training (CIT) for youth (administered to officers who have already been trained in the CIT method)
• forensic ACT (assertive com­munity treatment)
• increased treatment staffing in jails
• formal standardized screening and assessment, and
• expanded post-release follow up.

An evaluation component was added by engaging the Michigan State University Data and Evalu­ation Team. The evaluation will compile data to measure the effectiveness of these innovative projects, and determine best practices and return on investment.

The state is working very closely with these counties in an effort to maintain open and clear dialog — not only to hear the success stories that are coming out of these initiatives, but also to be made aware of any pitfalls or challenges as they move forward with their programs.

As evidence of this, a recent “pilot summit” was held in Lan­sing to provide an opportunity for counties to network with one another, share information about their programs and to share with those at the state and the Mental Health Diversion Council any immediate concerns.

Counties participating in the jail diversion pilots share many things in common, including the forging of mutual collaborations with major stakeholders within their communities. This call to action has been recognized in these counties early on, and a commit­ment to change the way they do business is viewed as a necessity.

The national Stepping Up initiative encourages all counties throughout the state to echo what these pilot sites have already done: resolve to recognize jail diversion as a community issue and vow to collaborate with one another in an effort to decriminalize mental illness.

For more information about the national Stepping Up initiative please visit: stepuptogether.org.