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Jails across the U.S. are seeing reductions in their populations since the pandemic struck, yet local officials say the prevalence of mental illness in their facilities remains stubbornly high. Our latest video features officials from Douglas County, KS and San Luis Obispo, CA—both recognized as Innovator Counties in the Stepping Up Initiative—and helps us uncover why people with mental illnesses are remaining in or returning to jail at higher rates than other populations and how to change that. Read More

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 will explain 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 will discuss the role of sheriffs in facilitating access to data on serious mental illness in jails. Speakers will also address specific challenges that can complicate counties’ efforts to identify accurate baseline data. IT staff from county sheriffs’ offices and county jails are encouraged to attend this webinar. Read More

Set, Measure, Achieve is a new national call to action for Stepping Up counties to establish and reach measurable goals that demonstrate reduced prevalence of mental illness in jails. Join us for a special virtual event on September 30, to commemorate five years of Stepping Up and learn more about how counties can participate in Set, Measure, Achieve. Read More

As telehealth expands, communities across the country are looking for information on how best to facilitate connections to care for people with serious mental illnesses being discharged from jail. During COVID-19, telehealth or telemedicine has become an essential practice for connecting people with mental illnesses from jails to psychiatric treatment and other services. For more information, please watch our recent webinar hosted by the Stepping Up partners on increasing connections to care with telehealth and other strategies. Read More

COVID-19 is pushing communities to rethink their approach jails. For many, telehealth or telemedicine has become an essential practice for connecting people with mental illnesses from jails to treatment. Read More

The Stepping Up initiative encourages counties to track data along Four Key Measures, including connecting people who have serious mental illness (SMI) to treatment and other services after discharge from jail. Communities across the country are looking for information on how to best facilitate connection to care for individuals with SMI. With the current expansion of telehealth, there is a need to discuss best approaches, other ways to connect to care, and to share tips and strategies from counties. Join the Stepping Up partners for a webinar focused on one this key measure: Increase Connection to Care. Read More

The Stepping Up initiative encourages counties to reduce the number of people with mental illness in county jail systems. Counties in California are increasingly focusing their efforts on addressing mental illness in the criminal justice system, but one of the barriers to making progress in this work is accurately identifying who has mental illness in jail systems and collecting data on this population. This webinar will provide an overview of the recommended three-step approach for identifying mental illness in jails that is required to be a Stepping Up Innovator. The webinar will feature representatives from California’s two recognized Innovator Sites, Calaveras County and San Luis Obispo County, who will discuss their screening, assessment, and data collection processes. There will also be time for questions and answers on the webinar. Read More

Correction and detention facilities are currently the de facto mental health providers. Stepping Up initiatives empower the public sector to work together in implementing programs to address the growing number of individuals with mental health illnesses that end up in jails and prisons. With more than 500 committed counties, Stepping Up provides the framework from which efforts can be developed to address issues any community is facing. This session’s speakers provided an overview of the Stepping Up initiative and how two counties implemented it. Risë Haneberg is the Deputy Division Director of the Behavioral Health Division for the Council of State Governments Justice Center. Kelly Rowe is a Sheriff in Lubbock County, Texas while Calvin Hayden is Johnson County, Kansas’ Sheriff. Read More

This webinar introduced Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) specialists to the Stepping Up initiative and gave an overview for how VJO specialists can play a role in connecting veterans who have serious mental illness to treatment and support services after release from jail Read More