As Sheriff, I operate and manage the county’s detention facility, also called the jail. Although my staff and I strive to make the facility the safest place in the county, that is a tall order. Every day, we must keep approximately 105 involuntary residents safe, fed, and healthy. We facilitate access to legal counsel, support contact with family members, prepare and serve three meals a day, and provide transportation to court appearances and medical appointments throughout the state. It is not easy work, and lately, it feels as though the job has become more challenging.
The hard truth is that a jail population generally consists of people who were not dealt many advantages in life and/or made very unwise choices. Many are in poor physical health, some struggle with addiction, and a significant percentage wrestle with mental illness.
Law enforcement officers have known for decades that people with unmet mental health needs often surface in either the emergency department or the criminal justice system. Sadly, society has made little progress devising appropriate alternatives. I should add that Covid made matters worse. Not only did that year of social isolation exacerbate existing mental health problems, but as we adapted to social distancing, we formed some new habits that continue to keep us apart. Increased isolation can be hard on anyone, and mentally fragile people tend to fare worse. I think about the Great Depression and how the stresses of that time echoed for decades, and I believe history will repeat in the post-Covid world…