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…