SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 7, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/13/21
In this edition:
*RIP Harry Olmstead
*GuideLink Center
*Did You Know?
*RIP Harry Olmstead
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Harry Olmstead, formerly of Iowa City. Harry was a big disability rights activist, and made a change in the way many people view issues of accessibility. RIP, Harry.
*GuideLink Center
On July 14th at 4pm, the GuideLink Center is holding a Grand Opening. I am really excited for this moment! In case you do not know, the GuideLink Center is a community-based location for people with acute mental health and/or substance abuse issues. This is the culmination of over twenty years’ worth of work by hundreds of community members, and I think the story should be told. You really have three systems, and the story of how they came together. Those systems are mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and law enforcement.
I think we need to begin the story in the early 70s. Books and movies like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” were shining a light on the abuses that could take place in our system of institutions for people with mental illnesses. Pioneering psychiatrists and other mental health professionals were recognizing that people with mental illness could often do just fine in community-based settings, so long as they were provided adequate supports.
A lot of things happen in 1980. A grieving mom started Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which spread like wildfire across the US. The crime of drunk driving, previously viewed with a kind of, “boys will be boys” attitude, begins to be taken much more seriously by Federal and State Legislators. This quickly moves down to local Sheriffs and Prosecutors. Everyone agrees; drunk driving is a crime and needs to be treated as such. Unfortunately, the services necessary to help people get sober and stay sober are sorely lacking.
Also in 1980, Ronald Reagan is elected President. Under Reagan, the Federal and State governments begin closing the mental health institutions. Unfortunately, the promised community supports are never provided. People with mental illness begin to suffer from poverty, addiction, homelessness, food insecurity, medical issues, and much more.
At the same time, Reagan and the states make a huge push to be “tough on crime.” As a result, people who have mental health issues and/or addiction issues often find themselves in jail. Not only are they in jail, but sentences are longer, and recidivism is punished more harshly. This grew worse under the Clinton Administration, which created several laws that led to significant disparities between white inmates and inmates of color.
Reagan also decided to get “tough” on the use of marijuana. This led to criminal convictions and jail stays for millions of Americans. Again, the Clinton Administration exacerbated this by toughen sentences for other drug related crimes.
On a local level, Johnson County had seen a lot of population growth postwar, and it just kept going into the 1970s. The previous County Jail was in an antiquated building that was inaccessible and far too small. The Board of Supervisors finally put a bond referendum on the ballot in 1977, which funded the existing jail (which opened in 1980).
But there were problems with the approach the Supervisors took. They just kept cutting costs. They used a parcel that was much too small to allow future expansion. They cut back on footings that would have allowed future expansion upwards. They used a design that was staff-heavy, and less safe for both officers and inmates. That same design caused all sorts of plumbing problems that still exist today. They underbuilt by a LOT, forcing the jail to double-bunk almost immediately upon opening. They did not include any space for attorney-client meetings, treatment, classes, indoor or outdoor exercise, a library, medical services, or anything else. Unfortunately, the “new” Johnson County Jail was done poorly in almost every way.
The Johnson County Jail continued to get more and more crowded. The County was forced to begin sending inmates to other county jails, which added tremendous bureaucracy and expense to the system. The Sheriff in the late ‘90s (Bob Carpenter) managed to convince the Board to put a new jail on the 2000 ballot. A wide range of community members joined forces to oppose this plan, and the effort failed miserably. In response, Johnson County decided to hire the State Public Policy Group (SPPG) to do some focus groups with community members, and report back.
As a result of these recommendations, in 2002, Johnson County formed a group called the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC). This group included two Supervisors, the Sheriff, and the County Attorney, along with several members of the public. When I started as a Supervisor in January 2005, I argued that the whole Board needed to attend these meetings, and that change was made.
The CJCC took two tracks, which happened concurrently: One, building a new jail. Two, jail alternatives. Track 1 resulted in failed jail bond referenda in 2012 and 2013. Although the movement was slower than we would have liked, track 2 resulted in some very good things.
Track 2 started with the hiring of Jail Alternatives positions in the County. These employees then assisted in leading us to several other systemic improvements: case expediting; mental health screening and diversion; substance abuse evaluations in the jail; drug treatment court; regular “systems of care” meetings; mobile crisis; and marijuana diversion. All these changes made major differences in our jail population, as well as positive outcomes for people. REALLY big differences! But it was not enough.
This is when Jessica Peckover from Jail Alternatives took a trip to Bexar County, Texas (San Antonio), which was doing some very creative things. They had developed a program known as Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for law enforcement officers that was getting great results. Jessica is persistent, persuasive, and driven, and those traits served her well as she pushed us all along. A parade of community leaders started visiting Bexar County, and soon we had CIT happening in Johnson County. (Today, all law enforcement folks in Johnson County receive the training!)
CIT is great, but there was still a piece lacking. For someone with nowhere to go, there were only two options – jail or the hospital. Police were trained, but still required another tool in the toolbelt. We needed an “alternative” space like the one they had in Bexar County. So we went to work on planning a facility to serve that purpose.
Planning included everyone who might play a role. And while plans were progressing, progress was slow. We needed a point person. We rented the services of a gentleman named Matt Miller from Healthcare Facilities Planning at UIHC, and things began to take shape.
We secured funding from Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and other cities. In 2018, the Board of Supervisors hired Newman Monson Architects and bought land on Southgate Avenue. Construction began. In February of 2021, GuideLink had a “soft” opening. By June of 2021, all services were operating and GuideLink is fully open.
I am extremely proud that this day has arrived. I could begin listing people who were instrumental in this occasion, but I would undoubtedly leave too many people out. Suffice it to say, we all played a part! I hope you can join in the celebration!
*DID YOU KNOW? Next door to GuideLink is the new Winter Shelter. For years, Shelter House spent every fall trying to locate some temporary empty space in which we could house a low barrier shelter for the coldest months. As a part of the GuideLink building process, a permanent Winter Shelter space was created. This will likely be open from roughly Thanksgiving until roughly mid-March. (It is weather dependent.)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:42 PM
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