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Hi All,
I'm a member of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  They have joined an effort called Stepping Up which aims to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails.  Here's their statement: "The Stepping Up Initiative is a national effort to divert people with mental illness from jails and into treatment. The campaign brings together a powerful coalition of national organizations, including NAMI, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, the American Psychiatric Foundation and numerous law enforcement associations, mental health organizations, and substance abuse organizations.

The initiative will challenge counties and local communities to work together to find solutions that work for the local community. The campaign will also support local leaders by providing examples of effective reforms and connecting them with other communities that are successfully reducing the number of people with mental illness in jails.
- See more at: http://www.nami.org/steppingup#sthash.t13sG7un.dpuf"
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I went to the webpage: http://www.nami.org/steppingup to see whether my county in Oregon has joined in this effort and it has.  The website has various means by which we can become active to further this cause.  I'll be on an e-mail list to be updated on future efforts.  

I just wanted to pass along this information about this--forgive me if you all know about this already.  I thought if your county has not joined in this initiative, the website lists ways you can work to encourage them to do so.  We, as moms of sons who've been or are incarcerated and who may also suffer from a mental illness/substance abuse, have powerful voices in this effort.  Let's hope this effort leads to substantial change!
Karen