Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Committee Priorities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whatcom County task force frames 2026 priorities; steering group to define recidivism
Summary
Committee chairs and members proposed four draft 2026 priorities including evaluations of diversion programs and integration at the Division Street behavioral health campus; members agreed a steering‑level group will define recidivism and coordinate related work groups to avoid duplication.
Chairs of the joint Behavioral Health and Legal & Justice subcommittees presented draft priorities for 2026 during the Dec. 16 meeting and invited committee feedback.
The four items proposed were: (1) identify existing evaluations of pre‑arrest, prebooking and pretrial diversion programs; (2) explore issues related to in‑custody versus out‑of‑custody mental‑health treatment; (3) improve integration between service providers at the Division Street behavioral health campus; and (4) plan how to repurpose the existing work center when operations move to a county facility.
Committee members urged that foundational definitions be developed before undertaking evaluations. Alexis and others recommended the groups define terms such as "reentry" and "recidivism" so that measurement is consistent across work groups. Peter Frasier said he presented a "three‑pillar framework" the previous day and volunteers signed up to work on a formal definition; chairs agreed steering should coordinate parameters and membership of related work groups to reduce overlap.
Members discussed forming a steering committee sub‑team to finalize definitions and to set shared metrics that can feed into the data work group's dashboard and the January evaluation solicitation. No formal votes were taken; members asked staff to circulate the four draft priorities in advance of January meetings and to continue the discussion then.
