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JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Broward County Felony Mental Health Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- novem ber/2003
- Mental health docket frequency:
- 4 days a week
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with only Axis I diagnoses
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- 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 mental health funds
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Broward County Felony Mental Health Court
Contact:
- Name:
- mark a.speiser
- Title:
- circuit court judge
- Organization:
- Broward County Felony Mental Health Court
- Address:
- 201 s.e.6th street, room 801-b
fort lauderdale, FL 33301 - Email:
- mspeiser@17th.flcourts.org
- Phone:
- 954-831-7805
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Broward County Felony Mental Health Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Urban
- Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
- cit officers work in tandem with the mental health court
early identification procedures of mentally ill inmates to more quickly process them into felony mental health court, provide them with necessary pyschotropic medication and have quicker competency ev
pilot program utilizing specially trained probation officers to supervise defendants placed on felony mental health probation - Date accepted first participant:
- novem ber/2003
- Mental health docket frequency:
- 4 days a week
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- Planning and oversight/advisory group:
- The court had a planning committee that has evolved into an oversight/advisory capacity
- Oversight group members:
- Line-level law enforcement official
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency representative
- State mental health agency head
- Housing provider
- Consumer of mental health services
- Consumers' advocate
- Supervisory-level law enforcement official
- Pretrial services staff
- 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 only Axis I diagnoses
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
-
- They were established with an understanding of the jurisdiction's treatment capacity
- They were established according to the jurisdictions' needs
- They were established through the court's experience and expertise
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
- Yes, individuals with past “driving under the influence” offenses are excluded from participation
- Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
- Victims are notified about a range of court events (e.g. admission, court proceedings, case disposition, etc.)
- 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)
- Prosecutor
- Treatment provider or case manager employed by the court
- Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
- Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
- Victims' advocate / representative
- Job orientation:
- Staff are formally trained according to a curriculum
- Ongoing training:
- Yes, there are annual training requirements.
- Training topics:
-
- Overview of mental illness (e.g. recognizing symptoms or medications)
- Integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Information sharing with community mental health service providers
- Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
- Diversion options
- Treatment engagement
- Gender-specific treatment and services
- Victim's issues
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
- Family/friends of the defendant
- Defendants themselves (self-referral)
- Judges
- Prosecutors
- Defense attorneys
- Mental health screening conducted by:
- Court personnel with a criminal justice background / experience
- Mental health assessment conducted by:
- Staff of mental health court
- Point at which full mental health assessment conducted:
- After a participant has been accepted into court
Terms and Duration of Participation
- Legal mechanism by which participants are accepted into court program:
- Participants are sentenced to participation after a finding of guilt
- Participants are sentenced to participation after committing a probation violation
- Participants opt into the court after committing a probation violation
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- 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 offense and the clinical diagnosis
- The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
- No
- Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
- No, there are no minimum or maximum periods of participation
- 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 a single release
- Court-supervised treatment becomes part of the participants' criminal record:
- Yes
- 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
- Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
- 72 hours
- After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
- The court program does not make a distinction between legal and clinical competence
- 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:
- Community mental health service providers
- Services available to court participants:
-
- Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
- Assistance in locating housing
- Assistance in accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
- Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
- Inpatient mental health treatment
- Outpatient mental health treatment
- Substance abuse treatment (independent from mental health treatment)
- Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
- Medication management
- Individual psychotherapy
- Group psychotherapy
- Court-supported services available after program completion:
- No
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- The court does not use rewards or incentives
- Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
-
- 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)
Sustainability
- Court and service components funded by:
-
- Federal funds
- State mental health funds
- Has the court received media coverage?
- Yes
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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