Proposed intake center at Macomb Co. Jail would address mental health
Macomb County officials are proposing a new $228 million central intake center at the county…
Macomb County officials are proposing a new $228 million central intake center at the county jail complex, with services for those brought to the lockup with mental health and substance abuse issues.
County officials, who for years have discussed renovations at the Mount Clemens facility and even the possibility of a new jail, say the proposed center would be a model for jails in Michigan and possibly beyond.
Many people, officials say, end up in jail instead of in the care of trained professionals who can treat a variety of mental health and substance abuse concerns. They hope the new intake center will help address the decades-long gap in mental health care that they say began when state facilities were decommissioned.
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“What we’re about to do here in Macomb County is transformative. I think it’s gonna both kind of give an opportunity to change what we’re doing within the criminal justice system, but also have a transformative impact on people with mental health issues,” County Executive Mark Hackel said Thursday when officials announced the proposed project.
“I do believe that we have an opportunity do something and change some people’s lives. At least touch them, get an understanding as to what’s happening and maybe find some treatment options for them.”
The three-story center is proposed as a new structure, with many dated parts of the jail complex to be razed, including the section built in 1954 as well as the annex and rehabilitation center. The 12-story tower with 900 beds will remain, but undergo renovations.
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Officials hope to use $128 million in American Rescue Plan money and $50 million from the county’s fund balance to fund the project as well as — they hope — $50 million in state funding. The American Rescue Plan money came out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hackel said he’s been to Lansing seven times to have conversations with state leaders including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer about the project. The project and mental health needs are expected to be discussion points for him at the upcoming Mackinac Policy Conference.
He said Macomb County could be in a position to hand off someone committed to a state prison with an assessment and understanding of their substance abuse or mental health issues thanks to this new center.
If state funding doesn’t come through, county officials said they would look at available county funding or a bond.
Hackel said he does not anticipate going to county taxpayers for a millage proposal, unlike prior discussions about a new jail in past years.
The county Board of Commissioners is to discuss the proposal next week.
“We’re looking at it completely different than before,” Hackel said, adding it’s not about adding beds at the jail, it’s about right-sizing a “complex complex.”
“Confinement should never be a substitute for treatment.”
Plans for a new county jail were put on hold in April 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hackel, the former sheriff; Wickersham, and others decided against asking voters in August 2020 to vote on a new countywide millage to fund a new lockup at a time when people were struggling to pay for the basics and filing for unemployment as the pandemic began.
Earlier that year, county leaders were looking at scaling back a proposed new jail to 1,034 beds — but with more beds than before for medical and mental health needs — at a proposed cost of over $300 million.
At that time, Hackel said there might have been a way to support criminal justice reform by renovating or repurposing the current facilities, which has had various add-ons and millions of dollars in Band-Aid fixes through the decades.
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Discussions about a new jail or renovations at the current lockup had been ongoing for years as the facility had problems in many areas, including meeting the needs of inmates with substance abuse and mental health issues.
The proposed intake center would have 210 beds. Of that, 162 beds would be for medical and mental health inmates — 24 for medical, 60 for medical detox and 78 for mental health.
Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said the current jail complex only has 64 beds total for medical, medical detox and mental health.
The current jail is designed for 1,034 inmates and housed 782 people during a count Thursday morning. He did not say how many were in a bed designated for medical or mental health.
Wickersham said all the law enforcement agencies in the county except Warren and Clinton and Shelby township police bring those they arrest directly to the county jail currently.
Deputy Executive Vicki Wolber said if approved, construction could start in late 2024 or 2025 with move-in anticipated in 2028. The American Rescue Plan money has to be dedicated by the end of 2024 and spent by 2026, she said.
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Aside from working on services at the new jail center, officials with the county’s Community Mental Health agency also are working to meet mental health needs by expanding programs.
Its proposed projects include:
- Possibly repurposing the Juvenile Justice Center for mental health needs.
- Working to implement a 24-7 center to offer an alternative to jail or emergency rooms for people with alcohol use issues.
- Having a jail diversion program.
- Expanding mental health services for school students.
- Enacting more partnerships with first responders.
- Implementing an on-site mobile crisis screening presence in local emergency rooms.
Wolber said officials are trying to make “systemic change” in the county in the area of mental health.
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Mental health, especially in the criminal justice system, is being discussed more often in local government in recent months.
In November, a new online database of the inmate population at the Wayne County Jail was launched and was to include mental health designations and the number of available mental health beds as well as other information.
Officials hoped the dashboard, among other things, would help reduce incarceration rates for those experiencing mental illness or substance abuse disorders.
More than 40% of local jail inmates across Wayne County had been diagnosed with mental health disorders and more in the system were likely undiagnosed and required some form of treatment, Andrea Smith, director of innovation and community engagement of Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, said when the dashboard was announced.
Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
