Judge Steven Leifman

Community mental health was designed for people with moderate mental illnesses, not acute. And so when we shut down the hospitals and we went to the war on crime and the war on drugs and we went to sentencing guidelines, and we massively cut housing back in the 80s, this population got thrown into communities, into community mental health systems that were never designed for them.

And so, of course, it didn't work. And they didn't behave the way that we wanted them to behave. But instead of looking at how do we build a better system for them, we instead started to incarcerate them. And that's what happened. So we are building this facility, in fact it's done, to account for that population that never got what they needed.

And so, of course, it didn't work. And they didn't behave the way that we wanted them to behave. But instead of looking at how do we build a better system for them, we instead started to incarcerate them. And that's what happened. So we are building this facility, in fact it's done, to account for that population that never got what they needed.

And so, of course, it didn't work. And they didn't behave the way that we wanted them to behave. But instead of looking at how do we build a better system for them, we instead started to incarcerate them. And that's what happened. So we are building this facility, in fact it's done, to account for that population that never got what they needed.

And understand that there's a smaller subset of this population that are so sick, but they're using up all the resources. We did one study with one of our universities in Florida that looked at who the highest users of criminal justice and mental health services were.

And understand that there's a smaller subset of this population that are so sick, but they're using up all the resources. We did one study with one of our universities in Florida that looked at who the highest users of criminal justice and mental health services were.

And understand that there's a smaller subset of this population that are so sick, but they're using up all the resources. We did one study with one of our universities in Florida that looked at who the highest users of criminal justice and mental health services were.

We sent them the names of 3,300 people who had come through our system, and they had access to all the arrests in Florida and all of the civil commitments in Florida, all the Medicaid and Medicare records.

We sent them the names of 3,300 people who had come through our system, and they had access to all the arrests in Florida and all of the civil commitments in Florida, all the Medicaid and Medicare records.

We sent them the names of 3,300 people who had come through our system, and they had access to all the arrests in Florida and all of the civil commitments in Florida, all the Medicaid and Medicare records.

It narrowed it down to basically 97 people, primarily men, primarily diagnosed with a severe psychotic disorder, primarily homeless, primarily co-occurring, who over a five-year period, these 97 people were arrested 2,200 times. They spent 27,000 days in the Dade County Jail, 13,000 days at a psychiatric facility, cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and we got nothing for it.

It narrowed it down to basically 97 people, primarily men, primarily diagnosed with a severe psychotic disorder, primarily homeless, primarily co-occurring, who over a five-year period, these 97 people were arrested 2,200 times. They spent 27,000 days in the Dade County Jail, 13,000 days at a psychiatric facility, cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and we got nothing for it.

It narrowed it down to basically 97 people, primarily men, primarily diagnosed with a severe psychotic disorder, primarily homeless, primarily co-occurring, who over a five-year period, these 97 people were arrested 2,200 times. They spent 27,000 days in the Dade County Jail, 13,000 days at a psychiatric facility, cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, and we got nothing for it.

And so this building is really for that subpopulation. In fact, we've had this diversion program going on for 24 years, and I'll describe it a little bit more in a minute, but we get a list every day from my county of who is eligible to be diverted into the community. And because of the lack of capacity, we can't get to them all.

And so this building is really for that subpopulation. In fact, we've had this diversion program going on for 24 years, and I'll describe it a little bit more in a minute, but we get a list every day from my county of who is eligible to be diverted into the community. And because of the lack of capacity, we can't get to them all.

And so this building is really for that subpopulation. In fact, we've had this diversion program going on for 24 years, and I'll describe it a little bit more in a minute, but we get a list every day from my county of who is eligible to be diverted into the community. And because of the lack of capacity, we can't get to them all.

Over the last five years, we just looked at the data because we're trying to figure out who's going to go into this building first. We identified 16,000 people who over five years, they were arrested 32,000 times. They spent 1.2 million days in the Dade County Jail. That's 3,400 years. $414 million in taxpayer dollars wasted, and we got nothing for it.

Over the last five years, we just looked at the data because we're trying to figure out who's going to go into this building first. We identified 16,000 people who over five years, they were arrested 32,000 times. They spent 1.2 million days in the Dade County Jail. That's 3,400 years. $414 million in taxpayer dollars wasted, and we got nothing for it.

Over the last five years, we just looked at the data because we're trying to figure out who's going to go into this building first. We identified 16,000 people who over five years, they were arrested 32,000 times. They spent 1.2 million days in the Dade County Jail. That's 3,400 years. $414 million in taxpayer dollars wasted, and we got nothing for it.

So it's that type of population that this new facility is for. And so the building will have a receiving facility, a crisis stabilization unit, a short-term residential facility, a deactivity program that'll teach individuals self-sufficiency, how to manage their illness, a culinary supportive employment, vocational supportive employment programs like computer labs.