The Jefferson County Commission allocated a total of $541,000 from its general fund and indigent care fund to reinstitute Mental Health Court in the Birmingham Division. The program is administered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham TASC program, Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities.
The renewal is in response to the number of mentally ill offenders incarcerated in the Jefferson County jail and the need to provide judges with alternatives to sentencing. The funds will also be used to sustain the ongoing Mental Health Court in the Bessemer Division. Funding provided from the indigent care fund will be used exclusively to provide mental health services to indigent persons enrolled in the Mental Health Court.
The Birmingham Mental Health Court will be organized by Judge Stephen Wallace, and Bessemer operations will continue to be led by Judge David Hobdy.
In addition, Jefferson County has received a two-year Second Chance Act federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance in the amount of $600,000 to enhance pre- and post-services to offenders with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse conditions. UAB TASC will serve as the subrecipient for implementation of service delivery. Second Chance Act programs are designed to help communities develop and implement comprehensive and collaborative strategies that address the challenges of re-entry and recidivism reduction.
| National prevalence studies indicate that 72 percent of male and female jail inmates with serious mental health conditions also had co-occurring substance abuse disorders. It is estimated that approximately 8 percent of the total Jefferson County jail population have co-occurring disorders. These individuals pose unique challenges to the criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse treatment systems. |
National prevalence studies indicate that 72 percent of male and female jail inmates with serious mental health conditions also had co-occurring substance abuse disorders. It is estimated that approximately 8 percent of the total Jefferson County jail population have co-occurring disorders. These individuals pose unique challenges to the criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse treatment systems.
Individuals with co-occurring disorders are more likely to become homeless, struggle to maintain sobriety, and have difficulty maintaining compliance with medication and treatment regimens, and are often deemed ineligible for traditional substance abuse and mental health treatment delivered through sequential and parallel strategies. Furthermore, they are more likely to cycle among institutions without intervention and transition planning.
Community partners in both initiatives include One Roof, Fellowship House, Alabama Pardons and Parole, Community Law Center, Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, and UAB Community Psychiatry. Additional stakeholders will be convened in a program oversight committee.