Task force recommends behavioral care center include out-of-custody treatment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- IPRTF recommends a standalone out-of-custody Behavioral Care Center to council.
- Proposal prioritizes diversion: send crisis-involved people to BCC instead of jail.
- Funding, Medicaid limits and logistics remain unresolved; council will decide co-location.
As work on the new Whatcom County Jail and Behavioral Care Center (BCC) continues, conversations are underway about how best to serve those dealing with mental health issues.
The location of the BCC and whether it will serve those in or out of custody has been an ongoing topic of discussion. Now, a proposal has been approved to present to the Whatcom County Council.
Members of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF) voted Monday, Oct. 27, to finalize a recommendation that the BCC serve people out of custody. They did not come to a decision on whether to recommend the BCC be co-located with the new jail, and left that choice out of their recommendation.
The formal proposal builds on the recommendation of a smaller workgroup focused specifically on the BCC. The group, composed of representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and the courts, agreed that a BCC with an out-of-custody model located at a dedicated campus separate from the jail would best serve those involved in the criminal justice system dealing with mental health crises.
Per this proposal, the BCC would be located by the Anne Deacon Center for Hope and a proposed 23-hour Crisis Center on Division Street in Bellingham. The BCC would provide a longer-term treatment option as opposed to a crisis response.
Concerns over funding and logistics led the larger task force to avoid issuing a recommendation on this facet of the project. The question will now be put to the council.
The main draw of the out-of-custody model is diversion, members of both committees said. If people are arrested while having a behavioral health crisis, they may qualify to be sent to the BCC instead of staying in jail and being charged — and avoiding the prosecutorial process altogether.
IPRTF member Peter Frazier, who also serves on the BCC subcommittee, said finances were another consideration. Medicaid can’t be used to pay for treatment in custody, he explained, so funding would have to be found elsewhere.
How would it work?
The proposed BCC would have four points of entry: booking, first appearance, pre-trial and resolution. Booking is diversion in its simplest form: if a crime is behavioral health-related, someone could be taken to the BCC rather than charged. They can also be sent to the BCC as part of a conditional release or plea bargain.
Starck Follis, director of the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office, said at a recent Finance and Facility Advisory Board meeting that it was important to keep the BCC justice-focused, even if it’s serving people out of custody.
“There’s just all sorts of positive benefits for having that BCC primarily tied to the jail population,” he said.
He and others emphasized the importance of diversion, a process that moves people away from the criminal legal system and instead gets them necessary resources. In addition to benefitting the individuals, Follis said this type of diversion would lower caseloads for public defenders and prosecutors, leave more beds in jail and allow the courts to work on case backlogs.
“This is simply a matter of common sense regarding compassion, and for some, simply resources,” said Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey at the same meeting.
Richey said Monday that his office has already come up with procedures and safeguards to follow if someone decides not to comply with going to the BCC. Ideally, there will be a “warm handoff” from law enforcement, though transportation and logistics remained a point of discussion.
What about those in jail?
If the County Council decides to follow the IPRTF’s recommendation, people in custody at the Whatcom County Jail will not have access to the BCC. Still, committee members say they’re dedicated to improving access to mental health services at the new facility.
“If we don’t have that, then this whole project is a failure,” said Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell “Tank” Tanksley at the IPRTF meeting.
A survey of 99 incarcerated individuals, representing about 28% of the main jail and work center population, as well as multiple focus groups showed that those in jail also wanted increased access to services.
“I haven’t received mental health care from people that had the time and resources to provide adequate individualized care,” one respondent wrote.
Others said it was difficult to access treatment or other resources in a timely manner. Of those who had been to jail previously, 37% reported that their mental health was worse upon release than when they went in.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the results of the survey, which was conducted by Crossroads Consulting with funds from Whatcom Health and Community Services. They said they expect incarcerated individuals to see increased access to services starting early next year.
Tanksley told The Herald that the office is “committed to providing essential resources and support to individuals in our care.”
“Through the Whatcom County’s Justice Implementation Plan, the Incarceration Prevention & Reduction Task Force, and planning for a new facility, we’re addressing programming space, expanding behavioral health treatment, improving facility design, streamlining referrals, increasing staffing, and ensuring continuity of care during and after incarceration,” Tanksley said. “Our goal is to ensure every individual receives the help they need.”
Mardi Solomon of Crossroads Consulting said the recent survey built on the results of one conducted in 2022. She said many of the responses were similar between the two surveys, though there were comments on increased addiction services in 2025. At the same time, respondents said there was no increase in job training or education that they wanted.
Another major issue raised was continued access to resources as individuals transition out of jail and back into the community. Solomon said she heard from many individuals that they wanted job training and other educational opportunities while incarcerated rather than just “sitting around twiddling their thumbs.”
“A lot of people are ready and willing to make a change,” Solomon said.
Solomon said she hopes the results of the survey and panel will be used to inform the new jail’s creation beyond just the BCC.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 12:43 PM.