New psychological well being program in Yakima County Jail goals to cut back recidivism | Information

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima County Jail is taking a rehabilitative method to cut back the variety of occasions inmates return to jail. Whereas the jail already provided 24/7 psychological well being providers, in April, it started to supply a brand new psychological well being program meant to indicate inmates how they will stay a standard and fulfilling life with a psychological sickness. 

This system does not have a reputation, however it takes place over six weeks. Inmates are housed with different taking part inmates on the second flooring of the jail, and all see therapists and case managers from Complete Healthcare.

The Program Supervisor for the Behavioral Well being Division on the jail, Whitney Gregory, mentioned housing the inmates collectively helps them develop social expertise. 

“They’d be capable of positively help one another, construct constructive relationships with individuals, wholesome relationships,” Gregory mentioned.

This system is targeted on creating constructive behaviors that inmates can use to assist them reassimilate into society after their sentence. Gregory mentioned the success of this program is within the little steps ahead.

“Individuals that are not usually housed with different those who at the moment are housed with a gaggle of individuals and stay cooperatively and perhaps earlier than they have not actually lived cooperatively with others,” she mentioned.

Different small steps embody displaying as much as appointments and taking their medicine as prescribed by their physician. 

The hope is that these little steps will flip into larger life adjustments over time and scale back the variety of occasions the inmate returns to the jail or helps them keep out of jail utterly.

Recidivism is huge drawback in the US. In line with the Nationwide Insitute of Justice, we’ve the worst charges on the planet at 44% of inmates returning to jail throughout the first yr of launch. 

In Washington state, as of 2019, 11.2% of prisoners return inside their first yr of launch, in response to the Washington State Division of Corrections. Over a three-year interval, that share will increase to about 30% returning to jail. 

Chief of the Yakima County Division of Corrections Invoice Splawn mentioned a big portion of inmates in jail have some form of psychological sickness, once they aren’t in a position to deal with it, it may be a think about these individuals committing crimes. 

“If we will simply affect a small portion of these so they are not recidivating and coming again I feel it is gonna be a hit,” Chief Splawn mentioned.

Over an extended time period, he hopes much less individuals reoffending will assist drive down crime in our space. Whereas this system hasn’t been round lengthy, he feels, up to now, it has been profitable. 

“Truthfully, I haven’t got any numerical statistics, however I’ve seen individuals eager to be in this system and eager to get higher,” he mentioned.

He added curiosity in this system has elevated as extra inmates speak about it. Whereas it is too quickly to know whether or not this system will enhance recidivism charges, Chief Splawn mentioned he hopes to see outcomes over the following couple of years.