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DA On Improving County's Approach To Helping Those With Mental Illness

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan speaks during a news conference at the Hall of Justice downtown, May 21, 2019.
Nicholas McVicker
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan speaks during a news conference at the Hall of Justice downtown, May 21, 2019.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s office is out with a "blueprint" that lays out a new approach for addressing mental health and the criminal justice system in the county.

At least one in three adults in the criminal justice system has a mental illness, while one in five adults in the overall population has a mental illness.

That's according to a report from the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, that lays out a new approach for addressing mental health and the criminal justice system in the county.

DOCUMENT: 911 Mental Health Checklist

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"The recommendations in this report can serve as the basis of this strategic plan from the criminal justice perspective. This will not be easy as what we need is a sea change — a significant transformation of an outdated approach into a system that strives for public safety, fairness, and dignity," District Attorney Summer Stephan wrote in the report.

Stephan joins Midday Edition on Friday to discuss how the report findings will be enacted in San Diego County.

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