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Shawnee County unveils jail mental‑health dashboard tied to Stepping Up effort
Summary
Shawnee County—s Department of Corrections presented a new public dashboard tracking serious mental illness (SMI) in the jail as part of the county—s participation in the national Stepping Up initiative; data show SMI‑classified bookings rose from roughly 10% to 26% and average SMI lengths of stay fell from about 62 to 30 days.
Shawnee County on Dec. 9 presented a new public dashboard intended to measure how the county manages people with serious mental illness within the criminal justice system.
"One of the biggest challenges that we face ... is how do we efficiently and effectively manage those who suffer with mental illness?" said Brian Cole, director of the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, as he introduced the county—s Stepping Up work and the dashboard built to show progress to the public.
Cole told commissioners the county adopted the Stepping Up framework, completed sequential intercept mapping to identify gaps—such as crisis‑center capacity, alternative sentencing options and discharge planning—and became an "innovator" county that tracks data to set measurable goals.
Deputy Director Steve Willis described the county—s "Set, Measure and Achieve" approach, saying the framework requires concrete goals, measurable tracking and community coordination. "It—s not the Department of Corrections stepping up initiative. It is the Shawnee County," Willis said.
Brock Robert, the department—s data analyst, reviewed dashboard numbers the county plans to publish publicly. Robert said the share of jail bookings classified as SMI rose from about 10% in late 2022 to roughly 26% in the most recent quarter. He also said the average length of stay for inmates identified with SMI has declined from about 62 days to roughly 30 days.
Robert flagged recidivism as an area still awaiting a uniform statewide definition; until the Stepping Up initiative issues a standard recidivism measure, the county is using a provisional approach that counts anyone booked more than once in a calendar year.
Commissioners pressed staff on how the SMI designation is made and when it is recorded. Cole said every booking receives a brief intake form scored by behavioral‑health staff; people who remain in custody are screened immediately by behavioral‑health specialists, who begin discharge planning, medication release of information and connections to community providers.
The presentation detailed several community partnerships that feed into the county response, including Valeo Behavioral Health, an Armor Health discharge planner, Mirror (a reentry provider) and local courts and probation offices. Cole said the county spends an estimated $25,000–$30,000 per month on medications for people with complex needs while in custody.
Chair Kevin Cook asked for a live walkthrough of the dashboard during the meeting; Robert said the dashboard shows about 2,000 bookings per quarter and an average daily jail population near 520. Robert and Cole said the dashboard will include connections‑to‑care data recorded by discharge planners and new reentry staff.
County IT said the public dashboard and supporting detailed pages are scheduled to launch on the county website in January, with some elements phased in.
The department—s presentation did not include any formal motions or votes; commissioners requested continued tracking and greater clarity on recidivism definitions and the drivers behind quarter‑to‑quarter data shifts.
