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JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Ada County Mental Health Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- 07/01/05
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 0-50
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with Axis I diagnoses if the diagnoses correspond to state criteria for “serious and / or persistent mental illness”
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felony probation violations
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
- Participants' charges may be reduced upon successful completion
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Participants' records may be expunged
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing
- Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for sentencing
- Participants' cases are processed by the mental health court for charges that were held in abeyance
- Court and service components funded by:
-
- Federal funds
- State funds
- Municipal funds
- State mental health funds
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Ada County Mental Health Court
Contact:
- Name:
- Kelly Norris
- Title:
- Coordinator
- Organization:
- Ada County Mental Health Court
- Address:
- 200 W. Front St., Rm. 4105
Boise, ID 83702 - Email:
- knorris@adaweb.net
- Phone:
- 208-287-7507
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Ada County Mental Health Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Mixed
- Date accepted first participant:
- 07/01/05
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 0-50
- Planning and oversight/advisory group:
- The court had a planning committee that ceased meeting after the court's creation
- Oversight group members:
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency representative
- Substance abuse treatment provider
- Housing provider
- Consumer of mental health services
- Consumers' advocate
- Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Public defender
- Corrections officer
- Corrections department head
Eligibility Criteria
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with Axis I diagnoses if the diagnoses correspond to state criteria for “serious and / or persistent mental illness”
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
- They were established with an understanding of the jurisdiction's treatment capacity
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felony probation violations
- Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
- Yes, individuals with past violent crimes are excluded from participation
- Yes, individuals with past sex offenses are excluded from participation
- Yes, individuals with past arson offenses are excluded from participation
- Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
- Victims are not involved in court processes
- Reasons for lack of victim involvement in court processes:
Court Team and Training
- Personnel who participate in case staffings:
- Judicial officer (e.g. judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Defense attorney
- Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
- Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
- Job orientation:
- Staff are oriented on-the-job
- Ongoing training:
- Training topics:
- Overview of mental illness (e.g. recognizing symptoms or medications)
- Integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Graduated sanctions and the role of coercion
- Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
- Treatment engagement
- Trauma issues
- Substance abuse treatment
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Judges
- Mental health screening conducted by:
- Community mental health service provider
- Mental health assessment conducted by:
- Community mental health service provider
- Point at which full mental health assessment conducted:
- Before eligibility is determined
Terms and Duration of Participation
- Legal mechanism by which participants are accepted into court program:
-
- Participants plead guilty and have their sentence deferred
- Participants are sentenced to participation after a finding of guilt
- Participants opt into the court after committing a probation violation
- Varies depending on charge
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
- Participants' charges may be reduced upon successful completion
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Participants' records may be expunged
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing
- Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for sentencing
- Participants' cases are processed by the mental health court for charges that were held in abeyance
- Terms of participation:
- They are individualized based on the clinical diagnosis
- The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
- Yes
- Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
- Min: 18, Max: not yet established
- Average length of participation:
- 1 year to 2 years
Confidentiality and Informed Choice
- The court obtains written consent to release personal information:
- Yes, participants sign an initial release upon joining the program and subsequent releases when additional information is requested or shared
- Court-supervised treatment becomes part of the participants' criminal record:
- No
- The court has standard protocols for establishing legal competence of potential participants:
- No, the state determines legal competence before an individual is referred to the court program
- Defense counsel helps potential participants decide whether to enter the court:
- Yes
Monitoring, Supervision, Treatment, and Adherence
- Monitoring and supervision of participants primarily performed by:
- Jointly among probation, coordinator, and treatment staff; compliance is reported by all.
- Services available to court participants:
-
- Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
- Assistance in locating housing
- Assistance in financing housing
- Assistance in accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
- Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
- Supported employment
- Inpatient mental health treatment
- Outpatient mental health treatment
- Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
- Medication management
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group psychotherapy
- Court-supported services available after program completion:
- Some
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- Certificates or other tokens for completing stages of treatment
- Graduation ceremonies
- Priority position in the order of cases called
- Praise from the judge
- Increased time between status hearings
- Food items or gift certificates from local businesses
- Extended privileges (e.g. where people are allowed to live, whom them may visit, furloughs and leaves of absence)
- Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- Restriction of finances (e.g. appointment of a representative payee)
- Jail
- Expulsion from the program
- Modifications in treatment plan (e.g. more frequent appointments with a case manager, adjustment to medications, increased drug screening, etc.)
- Judicial reprimands
- Increased frequency of status hearings
- Increased supervision intensity (e.g. meetings with a probation officer or case manager, drug testing, visits to court on a normal docket day)
- Home visits
- Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)
- Community service
Sustainability
- Court and service components funded by:
-
- Federal funds
- State funds
- Municipal funds
- State mental health funds
- Has the court received media coverage?
- Yes
- Is there published research on the court program?
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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