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Board approves creation of Behavioral Health Unit at county jail, adding two sergeants and reducing three officer posts
Summary
After a multi‑year planning process, the board approved a plan to convert space at the Justice Center Detention Facility into a step‑up/step‑down Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) to deliver targeted mental‑health treatment and programming; the board amended staff classifications to add two custody sergeants and delete three correctional officer positions, 5‑0.
Undersheriff Brad Duall and custody staff outlined the proposed Behavioral Health Unit (BHU), a step‑up/step‑down housing and treatment model for incarcerated people with mental illnesses. The BHU will consolidate individuals who require specialized programming into one location to increase time out of cell, expand therapeutic programming, and reduce behavioral escalations. Captain Bill Hornbrook said roughly 55% of the jail population has a mental‑health diagnosis or designation and that population accounted for a large share of staff assaults in recent years; consolidating care would allow dedicated staffing, specialized training and program continuity.
Renee Smith, a licensed clinical social worker, described program elements including individualized treatment plans, point‑based incentives, music and art therapy, substance‑use disorder services and reentry planning linked to community behavioral health. The board approved a resolution to add 2 FTE custody sergeants and delete 3 FTE correctional officer positions to staff the BHU — a personnel change presented as budget‑neutral with one‑time purchases funded from inmate welfare funds; the motion passed 5‑0. “We really want to help people to begin to, develop the ability to kind of take control of themselves again, and have a life worth living,” Smith said, describing clinical goals that support stabilization and reduce recidivism.
