The El Paso County Jail in Colorado has received the 2025 Program of the Year Award from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). This award is given each year to one correctional facility program in the United States. The jail was selected from more than 500 accredited institutions. The award recognizes the jail’s Therapeutic Response Unit and Stabilization Team (TRUST) Program.
The TRUST Program began in September 2022. It was created to address an increase in use-of-force incidents and assaults on peace officers. The program pairs clinicians with deputies to help manage crises involving inmates with acute mental health needs. According to the jail, the program led to a 30% reduction in use-of-force events and an 87% success rate in crisis de-escalations in 2024…