Three things to know from Sebastian County mental health forum

May 27--Sebastian County officials discussed mental health treatment options in the county justice system and Fort Smith community at the Fort Smith Convention Center on Wednesday.

Prior to the summit, the county held a reception and briefing Tuesday night at the convention center. Those in attendance included state representatives Charlotte Douglas, Justin Boyd and Mathew Pitsch. Among the topics discussed were the following:

1. The need to alleviate jail overcrowding in Sebastian County as soon as possible.

Sebastian County Judge David Hudson highlighted the need to lessen the number of inmates at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center. He said the jail, which was opened in 1994 and expanded in 2007 from a 260-bed facility to 356, has operated over capacity for the past year and a half.

"We need to do something now," Hudson said. "We need to put plans in motion to address that. So what can we do? ... A common approach for a county judge working with a sheriff whenever you have this issue is to ask for a tax increase to build a bigger jail and then keep that tax on to operate a bigger jail. That's what our neighbors in Crawford County are doing right now, Garland County, other counties throughout the state. ... It could be a solution here, but that's not a solution that this county judge and this sheriff want to engage in right now."

Hudson said a viable option would be formembers of the criminal justice system and the community to team up to look for solutions to reduce the jail population while maintaining public safety and improving criminal justice system outcomes.

2.An overview of the lessons learned during the National Stepping Up Summit in April

Hudson also discussed a Stepping Up Summit in Washington, D.C., from April 18-19. A team from Sebastian County attended to learn how to reduce the number of inmates with mental illnesses at the county jail, which would result in a decrease in the jail's overall population. The team included Hudson, Circuit Judge Anne Hendricks, Prosecutor Dan Shue, Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center CEO Jim West and Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck.

Hudson said the summit provided the Sebastian County team with a common mission. Their goals include establishing criminal justice system policies to implement diversion and treatment for nondangerous, nonviolent people with mental illnesses, promoting partnerships between the county and the state of Arkansas, as well as the city of Fort Smith and other community organizations, and educating both policymakers and the general public on the necessary issues so that they can support responsible action.

"The worst thing for an elected official is for the public to not understand what you're trying to do and vote you out of office so you can't do it," Hudson said.

3. Crisis intervention training is a necessity for law enforcement officers.

Hollenbeck talked about what the county law enforcement community can do to help carry out these new goals. He recommended that all law enforcement officers take part in crisis intervention training, where they can learn how to recognize if someone who is causing a disturbance has a mental health or medical issue, as well as how to de-escalate the situation and get them to a crisis intervention stabilization unit where they can get help. This will not only keep them out of the county jail, thereby leaving more room for violent criminals, but will also help lower the crime recidivism rate.

"Our law enforcement officers do an outstanding job, but the crisis intervention training is paramount," Hollenbeck said. "We have to have a goal in the state of Arkansas to train every single law enforcement officer in 24 to 40 hours of crisis intervention training. Those (law enforcement officers) sitting over at that table, they do not get paid enough to fight people or to get hurt by someone who might be in a crisis simply because they're off their medication."

Hollenbeck said those with mental health issues are 40 percent more likely to commit more crime after they have gone to jail than those who do not.

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