Jails across Kansas are contending with high numbers of mentally ill inmates. But in Douglas County, those numbers have dropped. From 2014 to 2022, the percentage of people with a serious mental illness booked into the Douglas County Jail decreased by nearly half, dropping to 10.5%. The decline came as Douglas County instituted a series of programs to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jail. That included staffing the jail with mental health professionals and a reentry program to connect people leaving jail with mental health medications and rides to therapy appointments.
Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister says investing in the programs is a financially wise decision because it’s costly to keep people in custody.
