A study shows that about 22-percent of people entering Michigan jails have a serious mental illness. To help divert this population from incarceration, a pilot program was started a year ago.
The pilot program has been operating in several counties, including Barry, Berrien, Kalamazoo, Kent, Marquette, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne. On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley stated that progress is being made with this pilot program to help individuals with mental illnesses.
“We’re continuing to make important progress in reducing risk and providing care to those in our communities struggling with mental health issues,” said Calley, who chairs the diversion council. “We hope to prevent unnecessary incarceration through these pilot programs by connecting individuals to the services they need.”
The program was started by the Mental Health Diversion Council in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in 2014. Its aim is to prevent those with mental health issues from being incarcerated by directing them to services they need before they are introduced to the judicial system.
To gauge the programs impact and areas for improvement, Michigan State University is conducting a series of evaluations of the program. Their first study shows:
More than 200 officers have been trained in crisis intervention techniques that have enhanced safety during police encounters and helped better direct individuals to mental health resources.
More than 1,000 individuals within the counties with pilot programs received mental health services while in jail.
About 22 percent of those entering Michigan jails have a serious mental illness
The program hopes to establish diversion efforts at various points in the criminal justice system, like first encounter with law enforcement, detention, jail and reentry.
The hope is that the program will continue to show improvements, and will be expanded to all counties in Michigan.
