The focus centers around diverting those with mental health issues away from the jail and Forsyth County leaders heard the results of a recent study by state officials.
Samuel Gonzalez from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council gave kudos to the commissioners and the county's Mental Health Task Force. "“You guys are leading the state in this effort. It is really helping highlight this issue and helping highlight a path forward for other counties and other folks in the state,” Gonzalez said. "Thank you for being on the forefront."
He also presented the process and said, "We conducted over 29 interviews with key stakeholders. We reviewed constraining factors in laws. We surveyed 4 key professions and family members regarding this issue and we also analyzed five different data sets."
The study included 19 recommendations including steps to be taken to improve law enforcement's first contact with a person with mental health issues and expanded training and resources for first responders.
