NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) \u2013 There\u2019s new insight into the plans for the Davidson County Jail currently under construction in downtown Nashville. \u00a0In addition to the jail space, there will be a separate facility for a behavioral health center. It\u2019ll be the first of its kind in the nation.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Daron Hall sighted two examples of cases where this type of facility would have been effective.<\/p>\n
In February, a man was arrested after walking around the Nashville International Airport naked. It was his second time for that type of offense.<\/p>\n
And last January, a man shut down rush hour traffic for hours after he climbed up a sign on Interstate 65.<\/p>\n
Both of the men faced jail time for what they did, but as the Davidson County sheriff explained, they both have a behavioral health condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cSociety has turned to the criminal justice system to deal with a person who is acting out, who has a mental illness, and we need to get out in front of that, \u201csaid Sheriff Hall.<\/p>\n
He said about 30 percent of the inmate population at the Davidson County jail have some type of mental illness.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Hall says it\u2019s time to find a new way to treat the inmate population so that they get the help they need.<\/p>\n
As part of that effort, Davidson County will create a behavioral health care center. The budget for the new jail is $133 million, and the department set aside $10 million for the center.<\/p>\n
It will be a 64-room treatment center located in a separate space from the jail for people who have committed misdemeanor crimes and have a disorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to bring that person off the streets and treat the illness, and then release them into what is the community health system, where they won\u2019t be a problem for the criminal justice system,\u201d said Sheriff Hall.<\/p>\n
Hall believes the program has potential to save taxpayers millions of dollars.<\/p>\n
The new behavioral health center will open in late 2018.<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/wate.com\/2017\/01\/05\/nashville-to-build-first-of-its-kind-behavioral-health-center-for-arrestees\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"