The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a three-year plan Tuesday that seeks to reduce the number of people with mental illness at the county jail.
According to a press release from the County of San Luis Obispo Administrative Office, the Stepping Up Strategic Plan consists of four goals through the end of 2023:
- Reduce the number of people with mental illness booked in the San Luis Obispo County Jail.
- Reduce the length of stay in jail for people with mental illness.
- Increase the percentage of people connected to treatment upon release.
- Reduce the rate of recidivism for people with mental illness.
The plan is part of the Stepping Up Initiative's Set, Measure, Achieve call to action, which hopes to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails across the country.
"County leaders are committed to making progress on this crisis locally with data-driven decisions on programs, policies and funding," said District 4 Supervisor and County Board Chair Lynn Compton.
According to the release, the County Health Agency, Sheriff-Coroner Office, Superior Court, District Attorney's Office, Information Technology Department, Probation Department, Public Defender's Office and County Administrative Office collaborated to create the county's three-year plan.
San Luis Obispo County was recognized as a Stepping Up Innovator County in 2019for "leading the way in reducing the number of people in jail who have a mental illness," according to the county's Administrative Office.
Community members interested in learning more about the Stepping Up Strategic Plan can click here to visit the San Luis Obispo County website.
