Community Forum on Mental Health and Jail Diversion Scheduled
Event Details
·Community Forum on Mental Health and Jail Diversion
·Wednesday, February 11, 2026
·6-7:30 pm
·EVPL Central, Browning Room, 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Evansville
Our community, like so many others, has many people with mental illness and substance use issues. Some have been saved by and some have been failed by our systems of healthcare and criminal justice. A Community Forum on Mental Health and Jail Diversion will give the public the opportunity to hear from lived experiences that shed light on the strengths of those systems and opportunities for change. The event is Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 6-7:30 pm, at EVPL Central in the Browning Room.
BRIDGE (Building Respect & Integrity in Diverse Greater Evansville) encourages everyone to attend the event to hear from law enforcement leaders and mental health providers about how they divert people experiencing mental health crises from jail and connect them to the services they need. Attendees will also hear from local community members who will tell their stories related to mental health and incarceration. There will be limited time for public comment. Those who do not get a chance to speak can submit written comments.
According to Lora Stephens, convener, BRIDGE is working toward its vision of a community in which all people are accepted and treated with dignity. With this event, BRIDGE hopes that together we will build a more informed community. Stephens says it is important to understand the reality of mental health crises and how we can all work to ensure that our local systems are ready to provide those in crisis with the resources they need.
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/
For additional information, contact Lora Stephens at bridge.evv@gmail.com.