Forsyth County has been awarded a $400,000 federal grant whose purpose is to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses booked into jail for minor offenses.
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grant also seeks to shorten the length of jail stays, increase the availability of treatment, and reduce recidivism rates for those with mental illnesses, according to a county announcement.
The grant requires a $100,000 county match. The Forsyth Finance Department and Sheriff’s Office are putting together a planning team of county leaders, stakeholders and decision makers to implement the grant.
“Our jails have become at times a ‘holding shed’ for people with true mental health issues,” said Cindy Jones Mills, vice chairman and District 4 commissioner of the Forsyth Board of Commissioners.
The grant, she said, “will give us an opportunity to hopefully recognize the problem and start the treatment for the underlying problem properly, so the reoccurrence will be reduced significantly in the future.”
Information: https://bit.ly/33L2yXB
About the Author
