Behavioral Health

The county jail system is the largest mental health system in the state of Texas. Counties face crushing costs in providing certain constitutional minimum levels of care, including mental health services.

The state should adequately fund community mental health, crisis and transitional services that divert the mentally ill from courts, emergency rooms and jails, and ease the financial burden on local government and taxpayers.

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Key Points

Mental health and the criminal justice system are closely interrelated. Substance abuse adds even more complexity to this system.
The criminal justice system is among the largest cost drivers in the county budget.
Counties must provide certain constitutional minimum levels of care, including mental health care, while a person is incarcerated in a county jail.
Counties can provide funds directly to local mental health centers and other assistive community programs when budgets allow.
According to the Texas Council of Community Centers, counties have increased support to local mental health agencies in recent years.
Local taxing authorities contributed about $476 million to mental health community centers. Of this amount, approximately $371 million (78 percent) came from county government.
Funding for local mental health crisis services and mental health rehabilitation must be fully appropriated. Gaps in service must be identified and addressed to relieve the burden on the criminal justice system.
Community diversions and other programs are where the most timely, cost-effective, beneficial, preventative and successful mental health services are delivered — and the state must fund them.

	Fort Bend County Sheriff Nehls: Mental illness 'biggest issue' in Fort Bend County LMTOnline, Oct. 17, 2019 Mental illness is the greatest issue for law enforcement in Fort Bend County, according to Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls. In a passionate speech at a Katy Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday, Nehls discussed a need for better...
	New study will measure how Nueces County can improve its mental health services Caller Times, Oct. 15, 2019 A Texas nonprofit will study Nueces County’s mental health services for the next six months to identify how the county can improve its programs. The county partnered with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, based in Austin and Dallas, to perform...
	Cornyn, local leaders discuss mental health issues The Alvin Sun, Oct. 10, 2019 Sen. John Cornyn arrived at the Galveston County Justice Center on Friday morning for a roundtable talk with local leaders and policy experts to discuss how federal mental health initiatives spearheaded by him could help Galveston County facilitate mental...
	Abbott's priority mental health bill resurrected after being killed by fellow Republican Statesman, May 22, 2019 In the end, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland didn’t get his way, but he succeeded in gumming up the works in the Texas House for a few hours Tuesday night — and raised his profile as a thorn in the side of not only Democrats but fellow Republicans...
	Mental health advocates ask for more suicide prevention training Your Basin, Mar. 26, 2019 As part of an ongoing conversation related to school safety and mental health in Texas youth, legislators are considering several bills related to suicide prevention. The hearing over these efforts at the Texas State Capitol followed three recent suicides linked to...
	Emergency mental health bill advances in Texas Senate Statesman, Feb. 12, 2019 A state Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday aimed at identifying children with mental health needs and helping them before they become a danger to themselves or others. It would cost about $100 million over two years...
	County officials, local legislators in favor of better jail diversion programs County Impact Newspaper, Feb. 3, 2019 Roughly 20 percent of about 1,000 inmates housed daily at the Fort Bend County Jail struggle with mental illness, and local law enforcement officials, county commissioners and legislators are working during Texas’ 86th legislative session to advocate for better jail...
	Smith County officials to continue mental health court Tyler Morning Telegraph, May 21, 2018 Updated May 22, 2018 Smith County is about to enter its second year of sponsoring a mental health court, and officials say things are going well...
	Designing a Cure for Crisis Treatment County Issues, Jan 28, 2014 Counties and communities across Texas are seeking to strengthen their mental health services with the help of an additional $313 million in funding from the state Legislature and federal Medicaid Transformation Waiver monies...
	A Silver Lining County Magazine, Nov 22, 2013 The price of mental illness and the unbearable costs of not helping those suffering from them made state and national headlines throughout 2012, as violent tragedies involving suspects with histories and symptoms of mental illness became more and more common...
	Mental Health Matters in Criminal Justice MentalHealthChannel.tv, 2016 How do we keep people with mental illness out of jail, instead providing them services that are more appropriate for their needs, with more effective outcomes, at less expense?