Stepping Up

County officials are implementing data-driven and evidence-based policies, practices and programs to decrease jail populations, reduce associated costs and meet the social and safety needs of communities.

Stepping Up is a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails and is a partnership between the National Association of Counties, The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation.

An estimated two million annual jail admissions involve people with serious mental illnesses. Over the past decade, county commissioners and supervisors, police, judges, corrections administrators, public defenders, prosecutors, community-based service providers and advocates have mobilized to better respond to people with mental illnesses.