A comprehensive jail diversion program designed to treat those with mental illness and substance abuse problems rather than incarcerate them would save East Baton Rouge taxpayers an estimated $3 million in its first year and nearly $55 million over 10 years.
That’s according to an economic analysis released this week and commissioned by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which is spearheading an effort to decriminalize mental illness in the community.
“While many would argue that providing services to meet the needs of those with mental illness is the right thing to do, we also know it’s a cost effective thing to do,” says the Rev. Raymond Jetson, who is working with BRAF and other community leaders on the project.
The estimated savings, unveiled at a news conference Tuesday at BRAF’s offices, are based on the savings experienced in San Antonio, which has one of the most effective diversion programs in the country. Economist M. Ray Perryman, president of the Waco, Texas-based Perryman Group, says Baton Rouge would experience both direct and indirect savings by providing the mentally ill with the treatment they need.
“We adjusted for population, your incidence level, bed space in jail, everything we could find and tried to determine what does it mean for this area if you replicated San Antonio and did almost as well as they did,” Perryman says. “Looking at it that way, the net savings in year one is around $3 million, and at maturity it grows to around $8 million a year.”
Also this week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany, were announced as new co-owners of Baton Rouge-based Walk-On’s Enterprises, which owns Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, Happy’s Irish Pub and Walk-On’s Catering.
Drew Brees will do more than lend his well-known name and face to the company’s advertisements, social media campaigns and promotional material. He’ll also lend the Drew Brees brand to internal training, recruitment and franchise materials, says Walk-On’s co-owner and founder Brandon Landry.
“He’ll be in TV commercials, but he’ll do a lot of internal marketing for us, too,” Landry says. “There’s a reason why he’s a winner: He’s a leader, and he will help us attract a great group of people to the company.”
Read the complete Daily Report Week in Review for a rundown of other top stories making headlines this week.
—Steve Sanoski
