On Tuesday, the Thurston County Board of Commissioners signed a resolution to join the Stepping Up Initiative.
The resolution formalizes the county’s commitment to reducing the number of people with mental illness held in Thurston County correctional facilities and furthers the county’s commitment to creating a healthy and safe community, according to a news release from the county.
By being part of the initiative, Thurston County joins 13 other counties in Washington state and 563 counties nationwide in their effort to reduce the prevalence of serious mental illness in the justice system.
The Stepping Up Initiative was founded by the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in an effort to encourage counties and their partners to reduce the number of people with mental illness in their jails.
In joining the initiative, Thurston County can connect with other counties and help justice partners perform activities such as collecting and reviewing baseline information to inform decision making; examining treatment and service capacity; identifying policy and funding barriers; developing a plan with measurable outcomes to address jail bookings, jail length of stay, connections to treatment and recidivism; and implementing evidence-based approaches to advance the county plan and creating a process to track progress using data and information systems.
