Pierce County will convene a multi-agency group to study and recommend ways to reduce the number of people with mental illness in the county jail. The County Council on Tuesday passed a resolution in support of the national Stepping Up initiative. Locally, a team that includes the county's sheriff, mental-health professionals and several agencies hopes to achieve a measurable reduction in the number of mentally ill inmates. Nationally, jails serve an estimated 2 million people with serious mental illness each year. Of those inmates, 75 percent also have substance-abuse disorders, according to the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Foundation, who are organizing the Stepping Up campaign. Reducing the cost for housing inmates with mental illnesses and removing the stigma of mental illness are other goals of the initiative. Pierce County officials noted that mental-health services at the jail here costs an average of $1.5 million each year. The national initiative "will provide the resources we need to help our residents with mental illnesses,GÇ¥ said County Councilwoman Connie Ladenburg. "We are fortunate to live in a community that demonstrates its concern for people with mental health issues and recognizes that solutions will come from working together.GÇ¥ The Pierce resolution was introduced by Ladenburg and Councilman Derek Young.
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