Two important groups will meet Monday at high noon in Sarasota to discuss, among other things, "strategies to prevent unnecessary incarcerations."

The topic is timely: Sheriff Tom Knight has warned about periodic overcrowding in the county jail, and there is increasing evidence that too many people are incarcerated — at no small cost to themselves and taxpayers — when they could be otherwise treated more effectively.

Unless steps are taken to safely reduce admissions and long-term stays at the jail, the unattractive possibility of building an expensive new jail is strong.

The Sarasota County Criminal Justice Commission and the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Council will conduct the meeting. They will receive updates on existing efforts to divert people arrested for certain crimes into specialized, "problem-solving" courts. The groups will also discuss their approach to a Feb. 26 County Commission workshop on "criminal justice system planning."

The judicial branch, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies and social-service organizations, has already worked on steps to deal with many of the underlying problems that often get people in trouble — alcohol and drug addictions, homelessness, mental illness and traumatic service in the military.

The effectiveness of these programs has been evaluated to some extent, at least; the outcomes should be clearly reported and assessed before and during the February workshop.

There are indications that more can be done. For example, there appears to be an unfortunate need to expand the addiction-treatment programs offered at the jail — perhaps at a better location than a depressing jail.

The same can be said for incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses. In that regard, it would be helpful for policymakers to know whether the community's mental-health "system" can be improved to prevent such people from getting into trouble in the first place. (A mental-health system "scan," conducted by professional evaluators and funded by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, is expected to be released next month and has the potential to inform political assessments and decision-making.)

There is also a case to be made for examining: the relationship between arrests, sentences and length of incarceration; disparities in sentencing; possible changes in bail-setting and probation-violation policies; the punitive impacts of court-related fees imposed on offenders.

In a recent column, I suggested the formation of a working group to study and report many of these issues; it was such a good idea that one was already in place.

So, a foundation has been laid. The question now is how to turn information into decision-making and action.

Tom Tryon is opinion editor.