(Cleveland) - For the first time in Ohio, police now have place, other than jail, where they can take someone who has committed a low-level crime, but also has a mental illness or an addiction.
Cuyahoga County has opened its Diversion Center, which is on East 55th Street between Payne and Chester Avenues. The center has room for 55 people, who can receive 24/7 clinical and behavioral help. Among the services available are detox, mental health and substance abuse assessments, psychiatric evaluations, case management, and linking to services after a person receives on-site care.
County Executive Armond Budish says this has been a priority of his administration, given that half of the jail population suffers either from mental illness or substance use disorders, and they should not be locked up. Budish said this will "change the justice system in Cuyahoga County as we know it."
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