Warren County government is stepping up to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jail. 

Commissioners unanimously approved a proclamation to join Stepping Up, a national initiative to combat a growing problem of people with mental illness being incarcerated.

The measure was presented by Commissioner Joseph Stotts, who says Warren County will become the second county in Tennessee to pledge its support and will join more than 400 others nationwide.

“This initiative has been adopted by more than 400 counties nationwide,” said Stotts. “It has also been adopted by Shelby, Tenn. It has seen great results. It’s of no cost to this county. The first step in us joining the Stepping Up program is passage of this proclamation promising our intent to do the best we can for criminal justice in Warren County and for the citizens in this county.” 

According to Stepping Up statistics, approximately 2 million people who have serious mental illnesses are admitted to jails across the nation. Almost three-quarters of these adults also have drug and alcohol problems. Once incarcerated, individuals with mental illness tend to stay longer in jail and upon release are at a high risk of returning to incarceration than those without these illnesses.

Housing the mentally ill in jails has a staggering cost to taxpayers. By the statistics, jails spend two to three times more money on adults with mental illnesses who require intervention than on those without those needs, yet often do not see improvements to public safety or these individuals’ health.

The proclamation was signed by Stotts, County Executive Jimmy Haley and Sheriff Tommy Myers.