KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Tuesday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners discussed an emphasis on addressing mental health inside a new proposed jail that would be built in Kansas City, Missouri.
The new jail proposal for KCMO is inching closer to a ballot for voter approval.
According to the board, the jail would sit on about 18 to 20 acres of land, 1,000 feet away from schools, churches, residential areas, and more.
However, some say more importantly, it will also address mental health inside the cells.
"I think having a place at the bare minimum to be able to be treated like a human, to have your mental health tended to while you're in there, can be part of it," said Burton Rogers, a licensed professional counselor in Kansas City.
Rogers says it’s important that inmates with mental health issues have their needs met.
"Being incarcerated in general has a negative impact on you as well, so I think having those places dedicated can be a bit better than the cumulative measures that involved segregated housing units," Rogers said.
KCMO Councilman Crispin Rea, who is also the chair of the municipal rehabilitation and detention center, says the city is looking to build a new jail with 247 beds based on data from 2015 that includes arrest rates, staffing rates, average daily population, and average length of stay.
"To supplement that with meeting the need the incredible need around mental health," Rea said during the meeting on Tuesday.
This means that out of those 247 beds, about 27 of them, or 11 percent, would be geared toward inmates with serious mental health issues such as psychotic breaks, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, according to Rea.
"There have been stories over the years of folks who haven't been able to get to their medication when they've been incarcerated," Rogers said.
Rogers said that not having mental health issues treated properly while incarcerated can lead to a hard time returning to society once an inmate is released.
He hopes that this is the first step in changing the lives of inmates with mental health issues.
“Whether this person is going to be incarcerated for a long time or going to be down for a minute, they need to transition out of the prison system at some point, like, 'What are we doing to help folks?'" Rogers said.
Rea said leaders are working to put this on the November or April ballot and said he hopes the KCMO City Council will take action soon.
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