Pawnee County Jail Approved For Mental Health Resources Grant

Pawnee County is getting more than $50,000 to provide mental health and substance abuse resources to inmates in the jail.

Pawnee County is one of six counties to be approved for the state grant that will allow a psychiatrist to visit the jail twice a week and provide mental health professionals in the jail all week long.

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office says anywhere from 75% to 90% of all inmates here are battling substance abuse or mental health issues. They say those two things drive the majority of all the crime here in the county, so tackling those issues could help everyone.

Undersheriff Nick Mahoney says jails have turned into the largest mental health facilities across the country. He says the problem is that jails aren't equipped to meet those needs for inmates.

"Unfortunately, our jailers have become mental health professionals. They have to deal with the mentally ill, they have to deal with substance abuse every day. They're not trained to do that,” said Mahoney.

Mahoney says $54,000 in funding will change that. Instead of sending inmates out of the jail for treatment, they can bring the resources into the jail.

"No one person, no one inmate's treatment is exactly the same, so this grant allows for our medical provider to see that inmate, to provide the necessary help they need, come up with a customized plan like any patient would in any doctor's office, then carry that through their incarceration then after they leave,” said Mahoney.

The funding comes from State Question 780 and 781, aimed to put less people in prison for non-violent crimes, which would save the state money. That saved money is used to provide mental health and substance abuse resources. Mahoney says a psychiatrist will visit the jail twice a week, mental health professionals will be available all week, along with medication and other treatments.

"Somebody that has a mental health issue that needs inpatient treatment, and not jail, this will at least give them the opportunity to receive that while they are in jail,” said Mahoney.

Mahoney says they plan to use the money to get the program running this year, then ask for more money next year to make it bigger and better.