Stepping Up in the News
Department of Corrections Creates Mental Health Dashboard to Lower Incarceration Rates
The mental health of people who run into the law is front of mind for the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. “Currently, within our nation, there are more than 2 million people with mental illness that are booked in our jails annually,” said Steve Willis, the Deputy Director of Community… Read More
Polk County Sobering Center Secures $750K in Federal Funds as It Aims to Open This Fall
Polk County’s first-ever sobering center has received a $750,000 investment from the federal government as construction continues with the aim to open this fall. The facility, called the Polk County Life Services Center, will also house a psychiatric urgent care facility and provide crisis intervention services for people experiencing mental… Read More
Gov. Mike DeWine Wants Twin Fix: More Psych Beds, Better Mental Health Care in Jails
One in three inmates in Ohio have a mental illness, forcing jails to act as the de facto treatment centers, according to the Stepping Up Initiative, which seeks to divert people with serious mental illnesses from lockups. Read More