Blaise Mesa, of the Topeka Capitol Journal reports that Shawnee County Commissioners approved a resolution for the Stepping Up Initiative. This means that we will begin tracking mentally ill inmates to determine vulnerabilities in the county with the benefit of an in-state technical assistance center, the latter announced by Governor Kelly in January of this year.
“We are proud Kansas is the second state to join the national ‘Stepping Up’ program,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “This initiative will allow us to improve public safety and address unnecessary spending while diverting more individuals to potentially life-saving treatment. We look forward to working with our state and local partners to reduce the number of individuals with a mental illness in jails.”
The Kansas ‘Stepping Up’ TA Center —only the second of its kind in the nation—will offer virtual and in-person technical assistance tailored specifically to Kansas counties to support policies and programs that improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders in jails. Reinforced by support from the national ‘Stepping Up’ initiative, this effort will be directly informed by local needs and guided by a leadership team of state and local representatives.
Of the resolution, Shawnee County Commission Chairman Kevin Cook said he wants to see the county continue to back up its words with action. He said it costs taxpayers three times as much to house a mentally ill patient when compared to a non-mentally ill patient. Perhaps we can approach District Attorney, Mike Kagay about his 2016 campaign promoting a mental health court in the Third Judicial District.