Lucas County hosts conference on criminal justice reform, mental health

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Lucas County is hosting a national conference to help improve the treatment of incarcerated individuals who are suffering from mental illness.

On Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, officials from across the country will attend the conference in downtown Toledo to share success stories and ideas about how to reduce the number of individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse challenges entering our criminal justice system.

The Lucas County Commissioners say over 20 elected, judicial and healthcare leaders from 12 jurisdictions across the country will be in attendance at the conference, officially called the County Justice Peer Learning Network Peer Exchange. 14 Lucas County speakers will talk about their involvement in the critical work taking place between the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice.

“We are the behavioral health advocates for the county. We want to continue Lucas County’s momentum to have real reform so that those who need help can get help,” said Commissioner Tina Skeldon Wozniak. “We don’t want people cycling in and out of our criminal justice system.”

According to Lucas County, the conference includes a tour of the Zepf Diversion Center located at Zepf Center’s 2005 Ashland Ave. campus. The center gives local law enforcement agencies an option for individuals suffering from mental illness and/or substance use disorders to deflect from the criminal justice system and enter into treatment.

“The Mental Health & Recovery Services Board believes that a quality behavioral health system is key to addressing the cycle of arrest, incarceration, and recidivism, said Scott Sylak, Executive Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County. “We are proud to partner with the Lucas County Commissioners, local law enforcement, courts, and our treatment providers to create opportunities to improve our residents’ well-being.”

Lucas County says the conference will also include a tour of the Lucas County Corrections Center to showcase the behavioral health services that Unison Health is currently providing. The services include:

Screening to identify serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders
Group programming focused on addressing criminal thinking and understanding mental illness
Medication management to continue with medications during incarceration
Coordination of reentry planning to assist the person in accessing treatment once back in the community
Community follow-up after a person has transitioned into the community

“The treatment of mentally ill individuals in jails is critical, especially since such individuals are vulnerable and often abused while incarcerated,” said Lucas County Sheriff Michael Navarre. “Untreated, their psychiatric illness often becomes worse, and they may leave the jail sicker than when they entered.”

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