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(May 21, 2015) Nneka Jones Tapia, a clinical psychologist, will soon be appointed as the new executive director of Cook County Jail, the second-largest jail in the country, Sheriff Tom Dart announced on Tuesday (“Psychologist to head Chicago jail, nation’s second largest,” Reuters, May. 19).
Tapia has overseen mental health strategy for the Cook County sheriff's office since 2013, and she is the first mental health professional to be appointed to head a large jail.

"I think I can bring a wealth of knowledge to the staff in understanding the inmates," Tapia said.

Sheriff Dart said choosing a mental health professional to head the jail made sense, calling it the “final piece of the puzzle” in addressing mental illness behind bars.

"When a third of your population is mentally ill, you sure as heck better have someone who understands that at the top," said Dart.

Cook County Jail houses approximately 9,000 inmates daily, of which 25-35 percent suffer from mental illness. 

Unfortunately, this is not unique. Across the country, there are now 10 times as many people with severe mental illness in our jails and prisons than receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

Appointing a mental health professional to a leadership position is a great step forward for Cook County. But the focus must shift towards ensuring access to treatment and recovery, so that individuals with mental illness will be less likely to have such an overwhelming presence in our correctional systems.

Read the Treatment Advocacy Center report “The Treatment of Persons with Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails: A State Survey” to learn more.

Watch Nneka Jones Tapia, Pete Earley and Treatment Advocacy Center executive director John Snook discuss the current state of mental health in our prison system in an interview with Huffpost Live.

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