MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — Mobile County Presiding Circuit Court Judge Wesley Pipes is working to stop the revolving door at the county jail and divert mentally ill defendants caught in the criminal justice system to resources that will actually help them and society as a whole. Pipes says the current system isn’t working. People who need help aren’t getting it, and it’s costing taxpayers way too much for poor outcomes. Pipes is collaborating with the county, the city, and mental health providers in this endeavor, and they’re looking at Miami as a model.

“We’re interested in just seeing if there’s some parts of that, that we could use here,” said Pipes.

Twenty-five years ago in Miami-Dade County reforms were implemented that began diverting people with serious mental illnesses away from the justice system and into treatment and support services. Pipes organized a two-day meeting last week with various community stakeholders and retired Miami-Dade County Court Judge Steve Leifman, who is responsible for those reforms. They discussed the impressive results.

“Over 25 years, they were able to reduce their jail population by 40%. They reduced their arrest rate by 50%. They reduced their overall crime rate. It had a hand in reducing they’re their overall homeless population in Miami-Dade, so it’s a successful program,” said Pipes.

Pipes also believes this will save tax dollars. He says it costs about $90 per night to house a defendant requiring mental health attention, roughly double what it costs for an inmate who doesn’t. And that stay can be extended if they’re waiting on a bed at Taylor-Hardin, the state facility for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Pipes says as of last week there was a wait list with 380 people on it, which translates to about an 18 month wait at Metro Jail.

“The citizens of Mobile County are responsible for 100% of that person’s medical and mental health needs, dollar for dollar. Most people in jail, even if they’re on Social Security or receive Medicare or Medicaid, they’re not getting those benefits when they’re in jail. So, the citizens of Mobile County are paying for literally everything,” said Pipes.

“Currently, we have about 1,630 inmates in jail, approximately 370 of those are all psychiatric drugs. That’s a significant amount,” said Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch.

Burch, who oversees the county jail, says it costs taxpayers between $13,000 and $15,000 per month for those drugs, plus additional staff to care for inmates experiencing mental health issues. He says jail was not designed to be a psychiatric ward, and the population is extremely disruptive. We asked him to share some examples.

“We no sooner had the new section of the jail open, and there are like hard rubber padding inside the cells, you know, for people who are disorderly and having a mental breakdown. And we had a couple of choking events where they bite these hard rubber walls and, just like, eat chunks out of them. And, you know, there’s really too many stories to tell,” said Burch.

Burch would welcome reforms that make it safer for everyone. Both Burch and Pipes want to be clear, they’re not talking about diversion or reforms that would impact violent offenders, only non-violent defendants.

“This is not about letting people out of jail. This is about getting people where they’re ultimately supposed to be faster. It’s about public safety, and it’s about better

accountability for the taxpayer’s dollar,” said Pipes.

Pipes says they’ve started already on a small scale with one mental health court that began about a year and a half ago. He says they’ve accepted 58 defendants. The treatment-focused alternative allows defendants to have their non-violent charges dropped if they complete the program.