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Join the National Association of Counties (NACo) and your peers for a one-and-a-half-day peer exchange on county behavioral health and criminal justice issues, hosted in Polk County (Des Moines), Iowa. This event will bring together county leaders from across the country to visit Polk County and learn about its efforts to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in the jail through the Stepping Up initiative and beyond. Participants will also engage in discussions about how to implement change in their own counties. Please see the draft agenda below. Read More

More than 400 counties have joined the national Stepping Up initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. Although counties have made progress in addressing this issue, many still struggle to effectively communicate these efforts to the public and the media. During this workshop, county leaders will learn about strategies for engaging the public and media around reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in jails and key messaging points to gain support for these efforts. Read More

Jails across the country are struggling with too many people with mental illnesses in their jails. In this workshop, hear from county leaders about their policies, practices and programs to keep people with mental illnesses out of jails, provide appropriate care to those who are in jails and better connect them to community-based treatment and services after release. Read More

Join the Stepping Up partners for the fifth Stepping Up Network Technical Assistance Call. On this call, counties will engage in a facilitated discussion on the fifth question of the “Six Questions” document: Have we Prioritized Policy, Practice and Funding Improvements? Counties are encouraged to sign on and join the conversation with national experts and county practitioners to learn about key prioritization strategies and processes! Please be sure to review the “Prioritizing Policy, Practice and Funding Improvements” webinar prior to listening to the call. Read More

Join the Stepping Up partners for the fourth Stepping Up Network Technical Assistance Call. On this call, counties will engage in a facilitated discussion on the fourth question of the “Six Questions” document: Have We Conducted a Comprehensive Process Analysis and Inventory of Services? Counties are encouraged to sign on and join the conversation with national experts and county practitioners! Please be sure to review the “Conducting a Comprehensive Process Analysis and Inventory of Services” webinar prior to listening to this call. Read More

On this call, counties engage in a facilitated discussion on the second question of the “Six Questions” document: Do we conduct timely screening and assessment? Read More

Counties are “Stepping Up” to reduce mental illness in their jails. Two challenges that people with mental illnesses face before, after and during their involvement with the justice system is right to counsel and access to housing. Both of these factors can have a significant impact on whether a person is arrested, how long he or she remains in jail, and his or her success after release. During this roundtable, national experts and county practitioners will discuss challenges and opportunities and outline how changing the provision of these services can help to reduce jail populations, save money and ensure the safety. Read More

County corrections and behavioral health practitioners share policies, practices and programs they have established to better connect people to services and the impact they have had on the number of people returning to their jail. This webinar focuses on effective law enforcement and diversion strategies for reducing the number of people with mental illnesses who enter jails. Read More