AKRON, Ohio — On the first day of her second term in office, Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree discussed her plan to change the way some of the inmates at the Summit County Jail are housed.
Her focus is on getting more immediate and better help for inmates facing mental health and/or substance abuse issues by placing them in the same area of the jail.
Currently, there are five units that house men and one unit for women.
Male inmates who have mental health or detox concerns are not all in the same location.
"Right now, we have them spread out all over the jail," said Timothy Miller, who started his first day on the job as chief of corrections on Monday.
Miller, whose last job was at the Stark County Jail, embraces the changes Sheriff Fatheree is implementing.
"The days of let people just sit and do time are over. We have to address the issue," Miller said.
Fatheree said within two months, male inmates who are going through drug detox, have mental health concerns, or are dealing with medical issues will be moved to the specialized Unit 1, which has 98 cells.
She called it "a concentrated effort" to get inmates help quicker, improve outcomes and streamline the work of deputies and health professionals within the jail.
"If they're all in one area, you can better check that they're getting the help and the attention that the need," Fatheree said.
Fatheree feels the changes are important because there are about 10,000 bookings yearly. Of those, 66% — or 6,600 inmates — have mental health and/or substance abuse issues.
Asked if she was concerned about having too many people with mental health issues in one spot, Fatheree said, "No, I'm not concerned about that. Having people that are similar, it actually has better outcomes, and they feel safer."
Aimee Wade, the executive director of Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (ADM), said the agency funds services for about 50,000 people a year in Summit County.
She believes it's critical to identify those in jail who need treatment and engage with them quickly.
"We know people are at highest risk when they're exiting the jail, especially for overdose, so being able to engage people, get them engaged in services that they need and do a warm hand off back into the community can absolutely impact recidivism and may be life or death saving," Wade said.
Fatheree feels Ohio's jails have become de facto mental health hospitals and drug treatment facilities, making it more important that those in charge of jails do their part to push for changes where needed.
"If we don't start doing something, it's just going to continue. The revolving door is just gonna keep happening. The same people are gonna keep coming in the jail."
Wade stressed her first priority is diverting people from the jail who would be better suited for community-based engagement and treatment services. She added the agency provides funding to support the following programs:
- Summit County Outreach Team (SCOUT)-Partner with Akron Police for an alternate response to mental health calls, with a response from a police officer, EMS, and mental health clinician.
- Crisis Intervention Team Training for first responders-hosted 4 times per year, and every police department in the county has trained officers. The public just needs to specifically request a CIT Officer if they are calling regarding a mental health crisis.
- ADM Crisis Center-24/7 Detox and Mental Health Crisis Center located in North Akron
- People can also call the Addiction Help Line at 330-940-1133
- Finally, calling or texting 988 is always an option, and we have a local call center and local call takers who respond to these calls.
