FORT WORTH, Texas — Tarrant County officials are working to bring a mental health jail diversion center that would serve as an alternative to putting people behind bars. This week, leaders said that the plan appears to be on the fast track.
Judge Glen Whitley said he would like to see the facility open by Oct. 1, according to a news release from the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office.
Officials said the mental health jail diversion center would be a partnership that involves Tarrant County, John Peter Smith Hospital, My Health My Resources (MHMR), and law enforcement.
County leaders said the center will serve as a place where officers can take people with mental illnesses who would normally be detained for "a non-violent, low-level crime." This means that people would not go to jail and instead be taken to the center.
"We recognize the county jail is not the place for one to regain one’s mental health," Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks said during Tuesday's meeting.
According to the release, during their time at the center, MHMR and community partners will work to find the facilities for them to get help for psychiatric needs, homelessness, medication management, health issues, and more.
The district attorney's office said as a result of this plan, they hope to see fewer inmates at the Tarrant County Jail and in the criminal court system.
"This will make a huge difference in how we do criminal justice in our community," Tarrant County’s Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said.
According to Wilson's office, Judge Whitely will schedule a workshop to discuss which entity will pay for the center and who will manage it.
Tarrant County Administrator G.K. Maenius said for now he's working on finding a real estate agency to locate a rental facility that will be up to 18,000 to a 20,000-square-feet in size.
"It’s what is best for everybody," Wilson said. "It’s best for police, the courts, the county, and for the individual and their families. We just need it."