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Pitt County approves DHHS-funded restoration pilot for inmates and authorizes pretrial services spending
Summary
The board approved a DHHS-funded pilot with Well Path to provide psychiatric restoration services for inmates at PCDC (up to 10 participants at $180 per day) and approved the pretrial services expenditure budget amendment tied to earlier board directives.
The Pitt County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 13 approved two criminal-justice initiatives: a DHHS-funded restoration-to-capacity pilot to provide psychiatric services at the Pitt County Detention Center and an expenditure budget amendment to fund pretrial services previously recommended by an advisory board.
Sheriff (speaker 16) described the restoration pilot as an agreement with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Well Path Recovery Solutions to "provide restoration to capacity services for incarcerated individuals." The sheriff said the agreement allows PCDC to house a maximum of 10 participants and that "NCDHHS will reimburse at a per diem rate of $180 per participant per day starting the first day"; DHHS also guaranteed reimbursement for a minimum of five spots irrespective of participation.
Matt Gibson presented the detailed pretrial services expenditure budget amendment, noting the county previously passed an ordinance to create a pretrial services board and asked the board to approve the attached budget detailing planned expenditures. Advisory board members Ferris Dixon and others attended and described the program's goals: to reduce unnecessary jail stays for low-level offenders and connect eligible people to services.
Ferris Dixon said studies show that "for those who really don't need to be in [jail] for really minor offenses, the longer they stay ... they actually end up training the younger ones" and described community-based options as preferable when appropriate. Commissioners discussed board composition for the pretrial advisory board and noted current vacancies; the amendment was moved, seconded and approved by hand vote.
Both actions were presented as county-implemented programs relying on state reimbursement and advisory-board recommendations. The sheriff's pilot includes programmatic and fiscal reporting requirements tied to DHHS reimbursement; the pretrial budget is attached to the meeting agenda and will be implemented by pretrial services staff and partners.
