Counties across the country have committed to creating data-driven, systems-level plans to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in their jails. As part of these efforts, many communities are focusing on the small number of people who frequently cycle in and out of emergency rooms, shelters, crisis services and the justice system, a population that disproportionately contributes to the high utilization of these resources. People who come into frequent contact with these systems have some of the highest mental health and substance abuse treatment needs and utilize significant county resources, often without positive outcomes due to a lack of collaboration between the various systems.

In Part 2 of a series on collecting and using data, Stepping Up and the Data-Driven Justice project will host a webinar that features counties that have implemented policies and practices that identify frequent utilizers of these systems and use this information to connect people with appropriate treatment and services.