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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING DR. NNEKA JONES TAPIA FOR HER DEDICATED EFFORTS TO ASSIST SHERIFF THOMAS J. DART TO REFORM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND ON THE OCCASION ON HER RETIREMENT
WHEREAS, Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia was appointed by Sheriff Thomas J. Dart to the position of Executive Director of the Cook County Department of Corrections from May 2015 until her retirement in the spring of 2018,
WHEREAS, under the direction of Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, Dr. Jones Tapia spent years improving and developing mental health strategies at the Cook County Jail, which is one of the largest mental health providers in the world, and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jones Tapia developed a strategy to offer more services to detainees before they left the Jail, which has significantly slowed the revolving door of mentally ill individuals returning to the Jail, and
WHEREAS, after Sheriff Dart established the Mental Health Transition Center, Dr. Jones Tapia expanded and developed state of the art mental health programming for participating detainees and offered ongoing programming to formerly incarcerated individuals at the Transition Center as well as two community centers, and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jones Tapia assisted the Cook County Department of Corrections with overhauling the Jail’s restrictive housing policy and instituted a number of initiatives aimed at improving working conditions for correctional staff, making for a better work environment for what is an incredibly difficult job, and
WHEREAS, before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Dr. Jones Tapia was the Chief Psychologist at Cermak Health Services, which provides the onsite medical mental health care for detainees at the Jail, and
WHEREAS, in that role, Dr. Jones Tapia developed important tools to help identify the mental health needs of incoming detainees, and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jones Tapia has a decorated academic career, earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her master’s degree in clinical psychology from East Carolina University, and her doctoral degree from the Virginia Consortium Program in clinical psychology, and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Dr. Jones Tapia was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40, among many other distinctions and honors, and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jones Tapia served the citizens of Cook County for many years, and her legacy of improving the quality of the Cook County Jail will continue to make crucial criminal justice reform efforts a reality, benefitting all of Cook County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the President and Cook County Board of Commissioners that Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia is honored for her contributions to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and all of Cook County.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body, and that a suitable copy be tendered to Dr. Nneka Jones Tapia to memorialize this occasion.
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