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    The Stepping Up Initiative

    A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail

    The number of people with mental illness in U.S. jails has reached crisis levels. In counties across the nation there are more people with mental illnesses in jails than in psychiatric hospitals.

    Stepping Up is a national movement to provide counties with the tools they need to develop cross-system, data-driven strategies that can lead to measurable reductions in the number of people with mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders in jails.

    Two million times each year, people with serious mental illness end up in jail in the United States.

    Thankfully, county officials are increasingly aware that lasting, systemic change is needed to better link people to treatment—all while improving public safety in more effective and fiscally responsible ways.

    Recognizing that the critical role local and state officials play in supporting systems change, the National Association of Counties, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, and The Council of State Governments Justice Center launched The Stepping Up Initiative in May 2015.

    Visit StepUpTogether.org to learn more.

    Justice Programs Contacts

    Christopher Seeley, M.S.W.
    Program Director, School and Justice Initiatives
    Jeri Thuku, M.P.H.
    Program Manager, School and Justice Initiatives