Public Intoxication

Sobering Centers as an Alternative to Incarceration, Houston, 2010–2017

Bibliographic Data

ID11035660
AuthorsSuzanne V Jarvis (Suzanne V. Jarvis and Leonard Kincaid are with the Houston Recovery Center, Houston, TX. Arlo F. Weltge is with the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, Houston. Mike Lee is with the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston. Scott F. Basinger is with the Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.), Leonard Kincaid (Suzanne V. Jarvis and Leonard Kincaid are with the Houston Recovery Center, Houston, TX. Arlo F. Weltge is with the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, Houston. Mike Lee is with the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston. Scott F. Basinger is with the Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.), Arlo F Weltge (Suzanne V. Jarvis and Leonard Kincaid are with the Houston Recovery Center, Houston, TX. Arlo F. Weltge is with the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, Houston. Mike Lee is with the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston. Scott F. Basinger is with the Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.), Arlo Weltge (Harris Health System), Mike Lee (0000-0003-2222-3670, Suzanne V. Jarvis and Leonard Kincaid are with the Houston Recovery Center, Houston, TX. Arlo F. Weltge is with the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, Houston. Mike Lee is with the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston. Scott F. Basinger is with the Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.), Scott F Basinger (Suzanne V. Jarvis and Leonard Kincaid are with the Houston Recovery Center, Houston, TX. Arlo F. Weltge is with the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern School of Medicine, Houston. Mike Lee is with the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston. Scott F. Basinger is with the Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.)
Year2019
Volume109
Issue4
Pages597-599
Publication date2019-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2018.304907
PMID30865502
OpenAlexW2921748525
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited3

In 2010, the Houston police department admitted 20 508 publicly intoxicated individuals into its jail. To address jail overcrowding, the city created a jail diversion policy that allowed law enforcement to admit publicly intoxicated individuals into a new sobering center. By 2017, public intoxication jail admissions had decreased by 95%, freeing valuable resources. A promising public health intervention, sobering centers offer an alternative to incarceration and relieve overuse of emergency services while assisting individuals with substance use issues

Emergency department · Environmental health · Intervention (counseling) · Law enforcement · Medical emergency · Overcrowding · Political science · Psychiatry · Public health · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Medicine · Nursing

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