During last week's interview with NorCo DA Steve Baratta, he told me he had just completed and submitted a proposal for an early-intervention program at the jail. Tise program would use approximately $400,000 in opioid-related funding, not tax dollars.
Under this program, casweorkers will interview newly admitted inmates during classification to identify defendants whose criminal behavior is primarily the result of substance abuse or ongoing mental health problems.
For appropriate defendants present no public safety risks, Baratta wants to develop treatment plans and bring them before a judge for reconsideration of bail.
For peoplke who sit in jail with drug and mental health problems, and wait for six months to a year to get their case resolved, no one benefits from that," he remarked.
According to a 2018 assessment done by NorCo's health provider at the jail, 72% of inmates either are or were suffering a mental illness. A whopping 23% suffer from severe mental illness with current and acute symptoms.
That's what happens when you close state hospitals. Many of the people who belonged there end up at the jail or Gracedale.
When someone is jailed, the county bears the cost of housing and feeding an inmate. Moreover, incarcerated individuals are generally ineligible for Medicaid coverage, which means the county has to pay for medical expenses.
Baratta added that even though the jail is at half-capacity, it is "in turmoil because they can't manage their operations."They don't have enough corrections officers.
