The number of inmates in local jails daily has dropped from around 1,600 to around 1,100, the County Commission was told Wednesday.
Ron Bernard, chief of staff to Sheriff Austin Garrett, said 10 years ago the local jail population had been predicted to rise to 2,000 daily.
The downtown jail on Walnut Street was earlier closed, and all inmates are now housed at the Silverdale facility.
Mr. Barnard also said that the daily cost for prisoners has been cut from around $100 to around $75.
He spoke as the County Commission approved the transfer of the FUSE (Frequent User Systems Engagement) Initiative from the Sheriff’s Office to the county's Economic and Community Development (ECD) department "to best coordinate efforts across county government in addressing the mental health crisis in our community."
FUSE, which was started by former Sheriff Jim Hammond, supports individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, who are the highest users of emergency rooms, jails, and other costly crisis services, break the cycle of homelessness and re-engage with their community.
Officials said there are now 31 individuals in the FUSE program.
County Mayor Weston Wamp appointed Alexa LeBoeuf Director of ECD, and in this role she worked with Meg Webb, formerly of the Sheriff's Office, to support the success of the project, it was stated. He said, "Ms. Webb's efforts have led to exponential growth and have demonstrated the potential the program has to improve the lives of its participants and decrease costs to the public."
“Our new leadership has bolstered FUSE into a thriving initiative that is currently changing the course of more than 30 individuals’ lives,” said County Mayor Wamp. “With a renewed focus, our aim is to reduce recidivism by connecting participants with mental health treatment and meaningful employment, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.”
Sheriff Garrett said, “The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is proud to have launched this initiative and overseen the operations since 2018. We have successfully led this program serving 31 clients and now is the opportune time to hand it off to another department whose resources expand beyond our capabilities as a law enforcement agency.
“We will remain intimately involved in the program and are encouraged by the redefined focus of the project.”
Ms. LeBoeuf said, “We are excited to see that the hard work of our FUSE team is already leading to decreased costs to our health and criminal justice systems. Deputy Director Webb and her team have demonstrated that we can manage complex, high impact programs in Hamilton County, and we look forward to continued successes in this program as well as pursuing future opportunities to better serve our county."