News & Updates

COVID-19 Has Triggered Jail Population Drops—With One Exception

December 1, 2020

Site Snapshot: How Three Counties Are Serving High-Needs Populations

November 17, 2020

Mark Stovell

Stepping Up Announces Set, Measure, Achieve: A Nationwide Call to Action for Counties to Reduce Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System

September 23, 2020

New Innovators Bernalillo County and Fulton County Prioritize Treatment

June 12, 2020

Stepping Up Marks Five Years of Innovation

May 28, 2020

Safely Releasing People from Jail during COVID19 Pandemic

May 11, 2020

How to Prioritize in a Sea of Challenges: Guidance for Counties

May 5, 2020

Stepping Up for COVID-19: Resources & Information

May 4, 2020

Special Topics Case Studies: A Three-Part Series

January 9, 2020

CSG Justice Center Staff

JMHCP Grant Helps San Luis Obispo ‘Step Up’ to Improve Lives of People With Mental Illnesses in Jail

December 19, 2019

Sheila Tillman

Stepping Up Innovator County Q&A: Berks County, Pennsylvania

October 15, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Initiative Celebrates 500 Counties Milestone

August 5, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

2019 Stepping Up Month of Action Highlights

June 12, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Innovator Counties Q&A: Polk County, Iowa

June 7, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Innovator County Q&A: Pacific County, Washington

May 28, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Innovator Counties Q & A: Calaveras County, California

May 24, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Innovator County Q&A: Johnson County, Kansas

May 23, 2019

The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Strategy Lab Showcases Proven and Promising Practices to Help Reduce the Number of People with Serious Mental Illnesses in Jail

May 22, 2019

The CSG Justice Center Staff

Stepping Up Launches Interactive Repository of Programs, Policies, and Practices

May 20, 2019

The Stepping Up Initiative

“Step Up” Your Efforts in 2019!

April 2, 2019

The Stepping Up Initiative

How the Stepping Up Initiative Is Combatting the Mental Healthcare Crisis in Jails

December 19, 2018

Allen Houston, The CSG Justice Center

CorrectionsOne.com

Pennsylvania Launches First-in-Nation Stepping Up Technical Assistance Center Focused on Helping Counties Reduce Number of People in Jail with Mental Illnesses

October 19, 2018

The CSG Justice Center Staff

Effort to Help Counties Reduce Prison Population with Mental Illness

October 16, 2018

Lindsay Lazarski

WITF

Best Practices for Counties to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders in Jail: Six Case Studies

September 20, 2018

Kathy Rowings

NACo

Alamance County (NC) ‘Steps up’ to Reduce Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail

September 10, 2018

The CSG Justice Center Staff

The CSG Justice Center

Screening Inmates for Mental Illness to Keep Them from Returning to Jail

September 4, 2018

Christine Herman

WBUR

New Online Resource: Stepping Up County Self-Assessment

July 16, 2018

The Stepping Up Initiative

Rural (In)Justice: The Hidden Crisis in America’s Jails

July 11, 2018

By Marianne Dodson and Dane Stallone

The Crime Report

Opinion: Lack of Data Turns Jails into Psychiatric Units

July 6, 2018

By Franklin County (OH) Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and Pacific County (WA) Sheriff Scott Johnson

USA Today

Mental Health in Jail

June 19, 2018

Cass Herrington, Robin Linn, Alan Montecillo, and Libby Foster

Illinois Public Media

Coast Chronicles: ‘Stepping Up’ for Pacific County

May 29, 2018

Cate Gable

Chinook Observer

Common Good

May 21, 2018

Kathleen Maloney

Court News Ohio

Efforts to Reduce Incarceration of Those with Mental Illnesses Earn Johnson County Distinction as National Leader

May 17, 2018

Jay Senter

Shawnee Mission Post

Champaign County Stepping up to Reduce Mental Illnesses in Jail

May 16, 2018

Lauren Kostiuk

Fox Illinois

Counties Across the Country Participate in National Stepping Up Day of Action

May 16, 2018

The Stepping Up Initiative

Seven Innovator Counties #StepUp4MentalHealth and Lead Initiative’s Push for Effective Data Collection

May 3, 2018

The CSG Justice Center Staff

Opinion: Data Is Key to Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails

May 1, 2018

Roy Charles Brooks, Tracy Plouck and Dr. Altha Stewart

The Hill

Stepping Up Initiative Expands Push for Counties to Collect Data on Number of People in Jails Who Have Mental Illnesses

May 1, 2018

The Stepping Up Initiative

Dauphin County, PA, Rolls out Plan to Reform Criminal Justice System for Mentally Ill

April 26, 2018

Sarah Gisriel

ABC27 News

Save the Date: National Stepping Up Day of Action, May 16

March 8, 2018

The Stepping Up Initiative

AVAILABLE NOW: Recordings of Stepping Up Six Questions Webinar Series

December 11, 2017

The Stepping Up Initiative

Statewide Summit Calls for Better Practices in Treating Mental Illness in Jails

December 4, 2017

Min Xian

WPSU

Local Governments 'Stepping Up' to Help Inmates with Mental Illnesses

December 4, 2017

Jackie Padilla

WeAreCentralPA.com

Maricopa County (AZ) News: Stepping Up Peer Exchange

December 4, 2017

Maricopa County

400th County Joins Stepping Up

November 30, 2017

The Stepping Up Initiative

Mental Health: How Alabama Is Responding

October 6, 2017

Kym Klass

Montgomery Advertiser

New County Case Studies on Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders in Jails

September 6, 2017

Nastassia Walsh

NACo

People with Mental Illness Reoffend Less If on Specialty Probation

August 9, 2017

Science Daily

Effort to Help Residents with Severe Mental Illness Kicks Off

July 13, 2017

Diana Alba Souler

Las Cruces Sun-News

Stepping Up Celebrates Two Years of Efforts to Reduce Mental Illness in Jails

June 2, 2017

The CSG Justice Center Staff

The CSG Justice Center

County Roles and Opportunities in Reducing Mental Illness in Jails

May 8, 2017

Safety and Justice Challenge and NACO

Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Reducing Mental Illness in Jails With Evidence

May 7, 2017

By Taylor Knopf

North Carolina Health News

The Doctor Is In: The Role of Psychiatrists in the Stepping up Initiative

May 1, 2017

Charlie Ban

NACo's County News

Closer Look: Pennsylvania Effort to Keep Those with Mental Health Problems out of Jail

April 30, 2017

Joshua Vaughn

The Sentinel

Pennsylvania Stepping Up Initiative to Tackle Mental Illness in County Jails

April 18, 2017

The CSG Justice Center Staff

The CSG Justice Center

Editorial: Stepping Up to ID, Help Mentally Ill

April 9, 2017

Editorial Board

The Times-Tribune

Smart Talk: Alternatives to Prison for People with Mental Illness

April 4, 2017

Rich Copeland

WITF (NPR)

Can Pennsylvania Find a Way out for Thousands of Mentally Ill Inmates Languishing in County Jails?

April 4, 2017

Samantha Melamed

The Inquirer

Mental Illness, Untreated Behind Bars

February 27, 2017

Editorial Board

The New York Times

Fulton County (GA) Task Force Seeks Solutions for Vulnerable Population

February 20, 2017

FGTV

Perspective: Mental Illness Crisis in Jails Demands New Approach

February 13, 2017

Fred Osher

Center for Health Journalism

The Stepping Up Initiative: Program Aims to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails

February 5, 2017

Marilyn Monroe

American Press

New Jail Hopes to Expand Mental Health Resources

February 5, 2017

Marilyn Napier

Skagit Valley Herald

Idaho County Continues Steps to Address Mental Health

February 1, 2017

Post Register

Tom Holm

Forsyth County Launching Initiative to Reduce Number of People Jailed Who Have Mental Illness

January 30, 2017

Jordan Howse

Winston-Salem Journal

Report Concludes County Is on Right Track in Effort to Reduce Number of Inmates with Mental Illness

January 25, 2017

Elvyn Jones

Lawrence Journal-World

Illness, Incarcerated: As Residents with Mental Illnesses Cycle from the Streets to Cells, County Officials Struggle to Create a New System

January 25, 2017

Brenna Swanston

Santa Maria Sun

Statewide Summit Gathers Teams from California Counties to Address Mental Illness Crisis in Local Jails

January 20, 2017

The Stepping Up Initiative

Stepping Up Releases Foundational Report

January 18, 2017

The Stepping Up Initiative

Keeping the Mentally Ill out of Jail

January 18, 2017

Bob Moffitt

Capital Public Radio

Stepping Up Technical Assistance Opportunities in 2017

January 3, 2017

The Stepping Up Initiative

Stepping Up Initiative Takes on Challenges of Mental Health in Jails

December 21, 2016

By Rachel Rosenbaum

Appeal-Democrat

Pilot Initiative Aims to Better Track Mental Illness in Dauphin County (PA) Prison

December 20, 2016

Chris Davis

ABC27 News

Keeping Mentally Ill People out of Jails

December 18, 2016

Scott Orr

Daily Courier

Mentally Ill Spend More Time in Prison; Pennsylvania County Wants to Find out Who They Are

December 15, 2016

Eric Veronikis

PennLive

Lubbock County and Sheriff's Department Adopting Stepping Up Initiative

December 12, 2016

By Samantha Waddell

Fox 34

BJA Launches Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit at National Conference

October 19, 2016

The Council of State Governments Justice Center

300th County Joins Stepping Up

September 23, 2016

The Stepping Up Initiative

Never Meant: Jails Become Last Resort for Mentally Ill

August 29, 2016

Christinia Crippes

The Courier

When Police Deal with People Who Have Mental Health Issues

August 28, 2016

Michael D. Thompson

Scientific American

NAMI Publication Identifies Best Practices for Engagement in Mental Health Care

July 31, 2016

NAMI

Forsyth County, NC, Launches First New Stepping Up Program

July 23, 2016

Charlie Ban

NACo

Spartanburg, SC, Jail Welcomes County's Help on Mental Health Issues

July 22, 2016

Daniel J. Gross

Spartanburg Herald-Journal

New NACo Report and Case Studies: Reducing Mental Illness in Rural Jails

July 18, 2016

NACo

New NACo Report and Case Studies: Reducing Mental Illness in Rural Jails

Ohio Initiative Aims to Reduce Number of Inmates with Mental Illness

July 12, 2016

Katie Ferrell

WCMH-TV Columbus

Forsyth County (NC) Stepping Up to Reduce Population of Mentally Ill in Jail

July 11, 2016

By Arika Herron

Winston-Salem Journal

Opinion: Get Mentally Ill out of Jails and into Services

July 3, 2016

Tameka Tobias-Smith, executive director of NAMI Mississippi

The Clarion-Ledger

In San Francisco and Beyond, Homeless Crisis Should Not Derail Progress on Mental Illness

June 30, 2016

By Richard Cho & Dr. Fred Osher

The Huffington Post

Ohio Counties Meet to Discuss How to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail

June 20, 2016

The Council of State Governments Justice Center

Opinion: Push Is on to Reduce Incarceration in Champaign County While Also Providing Meaningful Reentry Options for Adults with Mental Illness

June 5, 2016

By Bruce K. Barnard, Sheila Ferguson and Allen Jones

News-Gazette

County Leaders Step Up to Reduce Incarceration of Mentally Ill People

May 20, 2016

Aaron Levin

Psychiatric News

Dr. Fred Osher: We Need Better Funding for Mental Health Services

May 9, 2016

Dr. Fred Osher

The New York Times

Franklin County, Salt Lake County Allocate Millions Each to Improve Local Jail Systems

April 27, 2016

The Council of State Governments Justice Center

County Teams Work to Make Stepping Up Initiative ‘A Movement, Not a Moment’ at National Summit

April 21, 2016

The Council of State Governments Justice Center

A Summit on the Mentally Ill in U.S. Jails

April 20, 2016

Ted Gest

The Crime Report

Maine sheriff going to DC to try to learn how to keep those with mental illness out of jail

April 14, 2016

Nok-Noi Ricker

Bangor Daily News

50 Teams Chosen to Attend National Summit to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails

March 4, 2016

The Stepping Up Initiative

Oakland County, MI, Board of Commissioners ‘Stepping Up’ Resolution to Promote Treatment not Jail Time for People with Mental Illness

February 9, 2016

Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority

Northville Patch

Franklin County Looks at Mental Illness in Jail

January 10, 2016

Jim Hook

WITF

Outsourcing the Mentally Ill to Police

January 1, 2016

Rich Lowry

National Review Online

Florida Counties Helping the Mentally Ill

December 18, 2015

Matt Chase

Miami Herald

Health Officials Working to Change Stigma on Mental Illness

October 9, 2015

Brandon Jones

KVUE

Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails: Why Sheriffs Are ‘Stepping Up’

September 20, 2015

Michael Ferrence

The e-newsletter of the COPS Office

Utahns Say Mentally Ill Inmates Need Treatment, Not More Jail Time

September 10, 2015

Cristina Flores

KUTV.com

Sheriff's Office Wants County to Join National Initiative to Address Mental Illness Among Jail Inmates

August 6, 2015

Jarell Wade

The Tulsa World

Miami’s Quest to Keep the Mentally Ill From Falling Through the Cracks

August 4, 2015

Al Jazeera America

Amplifying the Voices of People with Mental Illnesses

August 4, 2015

The Stepping Up Initiative

New Efforts to Help People with Mental Illness Get Treatment Instead of Jail Time

August 4, 2015

The Diane Rehm Show

National Public Radio

Dare County Gets Behind National Mental Health Initiative

July 22, 2015

Neel Keller

Outer Banks Sentinel

In Los Angeles, a National Model for How to Police the Mentally Ill

June 15, 2015

Noelle Swan

Christian Science Monitor

Mental Illness Is No Crime

May 27, 2015

By Newt Gingrich and Van Jones

CNN

It's Outrageous: Jails and Prisons Are No Place to Treat Mental Illness; Just Ask Paton Blough

May 21, 2015

By Mary Giliberti

Huffington Post

New Efforts Aim to Keep The Mentally Ill Out Of Jail

May 19, 2015

Michael Ollove

Huffington Post

Study: Mentally Ill Inmates Stay Longer in Central Ohio Jail

May 17, 2015

Associated Press

In Miami-Dade, a Call to Treat the Mentally Ill Instead of Jailing Them

May 15, 2015

By Doug Hanks

Miami Herald

Mentally Ill in Jails, One County's Perspective

May 15, 2015

Politico

A Crisis in Our Jails

May 14, 2015

By Riki Hokama and Renee Binder

U.S. News & World Report

Mentally Ill Inmates at Franklin County Jail Stay Longer

May 13, 2015

Rick Rouan

The Columbus Dispatch

Sheriffs Join National Drive to Divert Mentally Ill Offenders from Local Jails

May 7, 2015

By Abby Sewell

Los Angeles Times

Lawmakers Concerned Jails, Prisons Becoming New Mental Health Institutions

May 7, 2015

By Ron Jones

CBS Sacramento

Counties Examine Police Training in Encounters with Mentally Ill

May 6, 2015

By Kimberly Leonard

U.S. News & World Report

National Effort Aims to Tackle Mental Health Issues in County Jails

May 5, 2015

By Dave Nycepir

Route 50

Johnson County Kicks Off National Effort to Help Mentally Ill

May 5, 2015

Roxie Hammill

The Kansas City Star

Breaking the Mental Health Pipeline to Jail

May 5, 2015

Graham Kates

The Crime Report