© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Douglas County Seeks Reduction In Mentally Ill Inmates

Allan Ajifo, flickr Creative Commons

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office wants the county to commit to reducing the number of jail inmates who are seriously mentally ill.

The office will ask the county commissioners to commit to the reduction during a meeting today.

Mike Brouwer is re-entry director for the sheriff's office, he says the request is part of a national initiative and coincides with recent developments on a potential county jail expansion and a mental health crisis intervention center project.

In September the sheriff's office was also awarded nearly $200,000 to hire two case managers to assess potential inmates each month and divert an estimated 25 to treatment alternatives.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.