The 10-Year Impact—and Future—of Stepping Up: Facing the Behavioral Health Crisis in Jails and Communities with Real Solutions  

As the Stepping Up initiative marks its 10th year, America’s justice and behavioral health systems are facing a shared crisis: how to meet the behavioral health needs of people cycling through jails.  

This challenge isn’t new, but trust in our institutions is fraying as jails remain crowded with people struggling with mental illness and substance use. Since 2015, the CSG Justice Center, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, National Association of Counties, and local leaders in more than 500 counties across nearly every state have been “stepping up” and joining forces to confront this crisis. They have been using data to understand where people fall through the cracks, diverting people before booking, deploying mobile crisis and co-responder teams that include mental health professionals, embedding treatment in jails, and creating new accountability measures to track and improve outcomes.  

After a decade of Stepping Up, the size of the challenge has not changed—but we now have clarity on how to overcome it.  

View Stepping Up’s 10-year anniversary page for more on the lessons we’ve learned, the impacts counties have had, the priorities for the next decade, and how you can help your community.