How to Set Targets to Reduce the Number of People with Serious Mental Illness in Jails

Hosted by The Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation with funding support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance

Since its launch in 2015, more than 500 counties across 43 states have joined the Stepping Up initiative and worked to reduce the prevalence of mental illness in their jails. Stepping Up partners recently announced a new call to action—Set, Measure, Achieve—to support counties in setting targets to reduce the number of people with serious mental illnesses in their jails, measuring progress toward meeting these targets, and achieving results.

As part of the new call to action, this webinar explains how counties can obtain data to establish baselines for Stepping Up’s four key measures and set targets for reducing indicators of serious mental illness in jails. A representative from a county sheriff’s office discusses the role of sheriffs in facilitating access to data on serious mental illness in jails. Speakers also address specific challenges that can complicate counties’ efforts to identify accurate baseline data.

IT staff from county sheriffs’ offices and county jails were encouraged to attend this webinar.

Speakers:

• Kati Habert, Program Director, The Council of State Governments Justice Center
• Sheriff Ian Parkinson, San Luis Obispo County, California, Sheriff’s Office
• Emily Rogers, Senior Research Associate, The Council of State Governments Justice Center
• Jessie Yates, Business Analyst, San Luis Obispo County, California, Sheriff’s Office