Andy Brown
Travis County leaders are moving forward with plans to build a new mental health diversion center.Mental health diversion centers “divert” those accused of low-level crimes to get mental health treatment instead of going to jail. In Travis County, 40% of the jail population deals with mental health issues. Travis County Judge Andy Brown told KVUE it is clear there isn’t enough room for staff to evaluate arrestees and maintain privacy.
“It’s a very small space … They get a basic mental health assessment by kind of answering some yes or no questions. And that all happens right there immediately. And just a few feet the other direction is the sort of population of people who are waiting to be processed,” Brown said.
Brown said one option is having a new diversion center across the street from the Travis County Jail, where a multi-level garage currently sits. He said the proximity makes it easier to transfer arrestees for mental health treatment.
“The County owns that parking garage and the County, obviously, owns the jail in this facility. What I would like to do is build a mental health diversion center. It could all be right here,” Brown said, adding, “Part of the thought was that it would save time for the police officers and for EMS if they didn’t have to take the person to central booking, if they didn’t have to take the person to the hospital. And most of the time where that was occurring was somewhere downtown.”
According to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO), the jail population between the Travis County Jail in Downtown Austin and the Correctional Complex in Del Valle is a little more than 2,200. Authorities said around 40% of that population, or about 880 inmates, are dealing with mental health issues. Data from the TCSO also showed how the jail population fluctuated during the pandemic.
