TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County’s largest psychological well being middle will not be a hospital. In keeping with County Decide Andy Brown, the most important psychological well being facility in our county is the jail.
“Which is unacceptable to me,” Brown stated. “So we’re making an attempt to comply with fashions throughout the nation who’re doing a greater job of figuring out people who find themselves introduced in by police who actually have an unmet psychological well being want.”
The county is contemplating constructing a psychological well being diversion middle to deal with folks experiencing a psychological well being disaster as a substitute of incarcerating them. Brown has been touring throughout the nation on the lookout for present fashions in locations like Nashville, Miami-Dade, and Harris County.
“My feeling is perhaps it is a mixture of everybody we have seen to do one thing that is outdoors of the prison justice system however efficient in getting folks the stabilization remedy they want after which serving to them entry housing. of assist,” Brown stated. .
The trouble couldn’t solely assist with the rising inhabitants on the native jail, however might additionally assist with the lengthy ready record on the state hospital that’s used to revive competence to these concerned within the penal system.
In keeping with the chief director of the Texas Psychological Well being Judicial Fee, there are roughly 2,500 folks on that ready record at the moment.
“I feel we are able to all agree that that isn’t a sustainable quantity. It finally ends up trying like two years of ready time for these with extra critical crimes,” stated Kristi Taylor, govt director of that fee.
Brown stated funding for the bodily constructing and its operation will probably be totally different, however the county is searching for federal grants, state funding and coordination with the Metropolis of Austin. The company might additionally ask voters to assist finance the challenge.
The small print of the price of building and operation are usually not but determined.
The issue: by the numbers
Brown stated there are about eight,000 extra folks within the county jail now than earlier than the pandemic. On any given day previous to COVID-19, there have been roughly 1,400 folks housed within the jail. In the present day, there are nearer to 2,200, he stated.
So as to add, the variety of folks with a psychological well being designation as measured by the state has greater than doubled: from 21% earlier than the pandemic to 45%, in response to Brown.