Corrections Ministries / Deacon John Cord

New Jail Reinvestment Advisory Council mandate aims to help those in crisis

It seems like many government programs are not efficient or effective. The state of Indiana, however, has created something that is actually working.

Recently the state mandated that every county create a Jail Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC). The goal is to improve our law enforcement, judicial systems and health care as it relates to those with mental illness and addictions who find themselves in a crisis situation.

About a year ago, I was asked to sit on the newly forming JRAC team in Seymour for Jackson County. There are representatives from every law enforcement department, county jail, fire, EMS, judges, prosecutors, public defenders and many health organizations, including the hospital, mental health providers and clergy. At first, this group seemed to be resistant, thinking “here we go—another worthless meeting.” But we quickly gelled under the direction of a very well-trained person from the state.

The first order of business was to create and train a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and to make it available to every first responder in the county. The goal of the CIT is to retrain these folks to respond to a person with a mental health or addiction crisis with compassion instead of force.

Normally, a police officer is trained to 1) ask the person to comply; 2) tell the person to comply; and 3) force the person to comply. However, many people in crisis simply don’t understand or don’t have the capacity to comply. The CIT training teaches a different method—to de-escalate with compassion and empathy. So far, we have trained about 20% of our first responders. We are starting to see a change in the attitudes of all of these folks as they find new ways to help instead of brutally confining someone.

The second order of business was to create a Sequential Intercept Map (SIM). The purpose of this exercise is to understand the current process for a person in crisis, from the moment someone calls 911 to the time they are stabilized and back home on their own and many months beyond.

We recently held a two-day SIM training. There were more than 70 representatives. We systematically walked through every step. The dispatchers told exactly what they do when they receive a 911 call from a family member about the person in crisis. They talked about who they currently dispatch—EMS, sheriff or police.

The police explained exactly how they normally handle the situation—both before CIT training and after being trained. We learned how they decide where to take to the person. It might be to a jail, to the hospital or to a crisis intervention center. We heard how each of these folks handle the person while in their care and what happens after they move them to the next agency. If the person committed a crime and needs to be detained, we heard from the jail about how they work with a person in crisis.

The judicial people explained their role in prosecution and sentencing. We again heard from the corrections systems. And finally, we heard what happens and where they go after being released back into the community.

During the second day, we talked about gaps and failures in the current system and how we could all work together to improve it to be more compassionate. We all agreed that people need help instead of time in jail. We formed several committees to work on these improvements.

I have never seen so many people from so many agencies work together almost perfectly. There was no shouting or arguing. We all worked for the common good of the person in need.

If Jesus would have been in the room those two days, I am sure he would have been pleased to hear and see these folks living out his sermon from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. They were truly compassionate about helping those most in need at their absolute worst hour. I could hear Jesus telling them, “Well done, my good and faithful servants” (Mt 25:23).
 

(Deacon John Cord is the coordinator of Corrections Ministry for the archdiocese. For more information on supporting the office’s re-entry ministry, contact Deacon Cord at 317-432-6604 or e-mail jcord@archindy.org.) †