In Coconino County, individuals are admitted to jail twice as often per year as the national average, with about 3,093 per 100,000 people per year admitted to Coconino County Detention Facility (CCDF).
To address the incarceration rate, Northern Arizona University faculty members are collaborating with Coconino County Attorney’s Office to analyze the most effective methods in creating a comprehensive diversionary program—including housing, behavioral health and job training—to successfully reduce incarcerations at CCDF.
The NARBHA Foundation funded the study, which is led by principal investigator Ricky Camplain, assistant professor in NAU’s Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) and Department of Health Sciences. Co-investigators on the study include Carolyn Camplain, senior program coordinator with CHER; Linnea Evans, assistant professor with CHER and the Department of Health Sciences; Robin Hebert, student in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice; and Juliette Roddy, The NARBHA Institute James Wurger MD Chair of Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health in NAU’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Read more