Carbon County Commissioners, on Thursday, adopted the Stepping Up resolution, which is a national campaign that aims to find solutions for people with mental illnesses who are incarcerated.

Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation are encouraging this movement in public, private and nonprofit groups.The resolution states that "counties routinely provide treatment services to the estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses booked into jail each year ... and almost three-quarters of adults with serious mental illnesses in jails have co-occuring substance use disorders."Because of this, county jails spend "two to three times more on adults with mental illnesses that require interventions compared to those without these treatment needs."In Carbon County alone, officials have a Criminal Justice Advisory Board, and the prison system is working in cooperation with Blue Mountain Health System, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health and Development Services and Drug and Alcohol Commission on an Integrated Behavioral Health Initiative.In addition, county agencies on the Re-entry Task Force are currently working to create a comprehensive re-entry program geared specifically for helping people leaving the correctional facility after incarceration transition back into the community.Nothstein said that the county will be submitting an application for participation at a conference in Washington, D.C., in April that will bring officials from throughout the country into one place to share ideas, success stories and possible solutions to this growing problem.