Madison County Board postpones 'Stepping Up' jail-diversion resolution, forms subcommittee

County Board member Michael Holliday introduced a resolution on Sept. 16 asking Madison County to join the national "Stepping Up" initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses held in county jails. Holliday, who brought a group of stakeholders to draft the proposal, told the board the resolution would direct the county to gather baseline data and develop a measurable plan focused on four measures: jail bookings, length of stay, connections to treatment and recidivism.

Holliday said the initiative would let the county coordinate law enforcement, courts and community treatment providers and would not itself obligate the county to new spending. "Mental illness does not make people inherently dangerous," Holliday said in presenting the resolution and asked the board to approve the measure.

Several board members praised the principle behind the proposal but said the resolution as presented lacked the benchmarks, cost estimates and operational details they wanted before formal adoption. "I don't want to vote on something where I don't know what's going to end up being in the plan," said County Board member Mick Madison, who represents the district where stakeholders had worked on the draft. Others urged more time to craft a plan that fits Madison County's resources and to identify funding and reporting requirements.

County Board member Mike Walters moved to postpone the resolution and form a working subcommittee to draft implementation details and a timetable. Walters said the item had been discussed in committee but required more coordinated planning: "This is a very important issue…we need to do the right thing and do it right," Walters said. Several board members disputed Walters' assertion that the resolution had been taken from one committee to another; Holliday responded that he had worked on the issue in the Institutions Committee previously. That exchange was left unresolved on the floor.

After extended debate about committee jurisdiction, timelines and the need for stakeholder expertise, the board voted to postpone the resolution for 60 days and to form a subcommittee to return with a plan. The motion to postpone, moved by Mike Walters and seconded by Ray Wesley, carried on a roll call vote of 25 in favor to 3 opposed (opposition from Hankins, Holliday and Minner). The chairman said he would assign the subcommittee as required.

What the resolution would do and next steps The Stepping Up fact sheet included with the record lists the initiative's goals and the four key measures the county is being asked to collect: jail bookings, average length of stay for people identified as having mental illness, connections to community treatment at release, and recidivism for that population. Supporters on the record included local stakeholders such as the Madison County Mental Health Board, county probation, the Madison County Sheriff, local police chiefs and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Southwest Illinois chapter.

Board members who opposed immediate adoption did not contest the goals but sought a clear implementation roadmap. The subcommittee, as described in the motion and discussion, is expected to engage local stakeholders, identify any county costs or grant opportunities, and report back to the board. The chair authorized formation of the panel and set a 60-day postponement; the motion did not finalize the subcommittee membership on the record.

Why it matters Supporters say Stepping Up can reduce the county jail population of people with serious mental illnesses through screening, diversion to treatment and closer collaboration among law enforcement, courts, probation and community treatment providers. Critics on the board stressed that without a locally tailored plan, clear benchmarks and a funding strategy, passage would be premature.

The board’s action was procedural: the resolution was postponed, not defeated; staff and county leaders now have a 60-day window to assemble the data and operational plan the board requested. The item will return to the board when the subcommittee delivers its recommendations.