Judge Cynthia L. Cox Circuit Court Judge Judicial Circuit Cox PPT on MH Court February 2… · 19th Judicial Circuit Judge Daryl Isenhower Saint Lucie County Court Judge 19th Judicial
Post on 15-Jun-2018
222 Views
Preview:
Transcript
Judge Daryl Isenhower
Saint Lucie County Court Judge
19th Judicial Circuit
Judge Daryl Isenhower
Saint Lucie County Court Judge
19th Judicial Circuit
Judge Cynthia L. Cox
Circuit Court Judge
19th Judicial Circuit
Issues We ALL Face in Florida
50th in nation for funding mental health
services
3rd in nation for rate of incarceration
Over 125,000 mentally ill booked in
jail/prison each year
23% can be classified as severe and
persistent mentally ill
Issues We ALL Face in Florida (cont.)
Over 13,000 people on wait list for
services from Agency for Persons with
Disabilities
Mentally ill offenders vs. non-mentally ill
offenders
Spend twice as long in jail
Costs counties up to 5x more to
house
Why Mental Health Court?
Substantial number of mentally ill offenders in jail charged
with low level offenses
No effective connection to community services for mentally ill
offenders in jail
Synergy with other problem solving courts
Diversion strategy needed to address unique needs & slow
recidivism (8.9% vs. 78% statewide)
Addresses PUBLIC SAFETY concerns of community
IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!
St. Lucie County 35% of jail population suffer from mental illness
Approximately 468 individuals of 1335 average jail population
22% of jail population on psychotropic medication
Approximately 299 individuals
584 incidents related to suicide
Cost to house mentally ill offender is 5x more in St. Lucie
County; $350/day vs. $71.31/day due to medications and
therapy
January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016
448 Baker Acts (Road Patrol)
68 Baker Acts (Jail)
How Mental Health
Courts Work
Assessment and individualized treatment plan
Assigned a case manager
Assessment and/or application for benefits
Appropriate placement/housing
Counseling or referral for therapy, vocational rehab, psycho-social learning, etc. Mental Health
Substance Abuse
Med Management
Entering Mental Health Court (cont.)
State Attorney makes decision to transfer client to MHC; if victim is
involved, victim must also agree to transfer.
Public Defender meets with client and explains conditions of MHC
Client pleads, if competent, and Order transferring (if diversion) or
condition of probation or condition of conditional release.
Order releasing bond or ROR’g with MH Court conditions entered.
What happens upon completion of MHC?
If client is not in MHC as a condition of probation or on Conditional
Release (ITP/NGI), the charges are dismissed upon successful
completion.
Administrative Order has detailed procedures/qualification
REFFERALS
Where do referrals come from?
Jail Medical
State Attorney
Public Defender
Family request
Case management or other mental health providers
Arrest affidavit/ law enforcement
Staff and Services Case managers (provide assessments, apply for
benefits, make referrals/ connect for services)
Peer Counselors
Medication Management
Therapy
Drug Testing
Transitional housing & faith based programs
12 step programs
Transportation
What’s the Difference?
The adversarial aspect of court is set aside
during staffing.
Staffing is conducted with a therapeutic mindset.
The relationship between the judge and client is
very important.
Clients must feel that they are given a voice.
Our 19th Judicial Circuit TeamJudge
Public Defender
State Attorney
Court Administration Case Managers
Jail Medical
Pre-trial services
Probation
Court deputies (CIT trained)
Our MHC Team (Cont.)
Clerk
Mental health providers (Members of the MHC
Program Office & New Horizons including LHMC,
Service Engagement, Case Managers, Peer
Specialists)
Community service providers & group homes
Faith-based dual diagnosis programs
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
Department of Children and Families
The origin of mental health courts stemmed from
situations similar to those preceding the
development of drug courts – repeat offenders in
need of treatment services. With available
community resources dwindling for people with
serious mental illness (SMI), the courts were
seeing more repeat offenders with untreated
mental illness. Florida’s jails and prisons are not
designed, equipped, or funded to deal with SMI,
so the use of the drug court model/problem-
solving court model was a logical response.
Mental health courts generally share the following
goals: to improve public safety by reducing criminal
recidivism; to improve the quality of life of people with
mental illnesses and increase their participation in
effective treatment; and to reduce court- and
corrections-related costs through administrative
efficiencies and often by providing an alternative to
incarceration. Monitoring and treating offenders with
SMI in a mental health court is more effective, efficient,
and less expensive than the remedies available through
traditional justice system approaches.
As of December 2016, Florida has 28 mental
health courts in operating in 16 circuits. Like drug
courts, mental health courts hold offenders
accountable while linking them to the treatment
services they need to address their mental illness.
Monitoring and treating offenders with SMI in a
mental health court is more effective, efficient,
and less expensive than the remedies available
through traditional justice system approaches.
top related