The Stepping Up dashboard, a collaboration between the Johnson County Mental Health Center and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, tracks the effectiveness of mental health services provided to incarcerated individuals in Johnson County Jail.

Part of the Stepping Up initiative, the goal of the dashboard is to reduce the prevalence of mental illness within the jail system. It’s also focused on better providing mental health services to incarcerated individuals in need of mental health support.

Data in the dashboard includes:

• Percent of incarcerated individuals showing signs of mental illness
• Percent of incarcerated individuals not showing signs of mental illness
• Average length of incarceration for individuals showing signs of mental illness versus individuals who are not
• Percent of incarcerated individuals showing signs of mental illness who are connected to care

One in five veterans has symptoms of a mental health disorder or cognitive impairment, often leading to involvement in the criminal justice system.

To help support veterans, Johnson County District Court founded the first veterans treatment court in the state of Kansas in 2016. A year later, the Veterans Treatment Court recognized its first veteran to graduate from the program.

The Veterans Treatment Court's mission is to identify veterans in the criminal justice system and to place eligible service people into treatment and court supervision as an alternative to incarceration. The program includes regular court appearances, mandatory treatment sessions, and testing for drug and alcohol use.

The program lasts 12-18 months and ends with a ceremony for graduates, attended by court and county officials.

In 2022, Johnson County joined three other counties as the inaugural group of Familiar Faces Initiative Peer-Learning Sites.

The initiative, created by the National Association of Counties, spotlights the standout work of these counties regarding their health and justice data systems – used to better support those in need of services.

The Familiar Faces Initiative models how data is used to coordinate care for individuals with health and behavioral health conditions. These individuals are considered “familiar faces” who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services.

As a peer learning site, Johnson County will share its innovative approach with the Familiar Faces network through calls, presentations, events and a community message board. It will also host in-person site visits April 12-13, 2023.