JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cheshire County Mental Health Court Program

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
01/01/03
Mental health docket frequency:
Monthly
Number of participants per year:
0-50
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court accepts participants with any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
    • Clinical exclusion criteria:
      Legal eligibility criteria:
    • Misdemeanors
    • Misdemeanor probation violations
      • Case disposition upon successful program completion:
    • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
    • Participants' charges may be reduced upon successful completion
      • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
    • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing

      • JMHCP Grantee Information

      Grant Year
      2010

      JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cheshire County Mental Health Court Program

      Contact:

      Name:
      Gerry Pelletier
      Title:
      Director
      Organization:
      Cheshire County Mental Health Court Program
      Address:
      33 West St.
      Keene, NH 3431
      Email:
      gpelletier@co.cheshire.nh.us
      Phone:
      (603)355-0160

      JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cheshire County Mental Health Court Program

      General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

      Grantee Year:
      Rural
      Date accepted first participant:
      01/01/03
      Mental health docket frequency:
      Monthly
      Number of participants per year:
      0-50
      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
      • Substance abuse treatment provider
      • Housing provider
      • Consumer of mental health services
      • Victims' advocate / representative
      • Consumers' advocate
      • Supervisory-level law enforcement official
      • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
      • Prosecutor
      • Public defender
      • Corrections department head

      Eligibility Criteria

      Clinical eligibility criteria:
    • The court accepts participants with any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
      • Clinical exclusion criteria:
        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
        • Legal eligibility criteria:
      • Misdemeanors
      • Misdemeanor probation violations
        • Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
      • No
        • Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
        Victims of DV are notified by an advocate
        Reasons for lack of victim involvement in court processes:
        • The court is unclear about which parties/groups are responsible for enforcing victims' rights

        Court Team and Training

        Personnel who participate in case staffings:
      • Judicial officer (e.g. judge or magistrate)
      • Court administrator / program director
      • Prosecutor
      • Defense attorney
        • Job orientation:
        Staff are oriented on-the-job
        Ongoing training:
      • Yes, there is funding support for staff to attend training sessions.
        • Training topics:
        • Overview of mental illness (e.g. recognizing symptoms or medications)
        • Integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment
        • Trauma issues
        • Substance abuse treatment

        Participant Information

        Primary sources of referrals:
        • Law enforcement
        • Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
        • Family/friends of the defendant
        • Defendants themselves (self-referral)
        • Jail staff
        • Probation officers
        • Judges
        • Prosecutors
        • Defense attorneys
        Mental health screening conducted by:
          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 plead guilty and have their sentence deferred
          • 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
          • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
        • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing
          • Terms of participation:
          They are standard with individualized terms routinely added
          The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
          Yes
          Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
          • Min. 3 mos., Max. 1 yr.
          Average length of participation:
          0.5 years or less

          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
          Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
          we're at the mercy of the state's scheduling of cases
          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:
          Court team members mental health background
          Services available to court participants:
        • Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
        • Assistance in locating housing
        • 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 have a standardized list of rewards / 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.)

          • Sustainability

          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.

          For more information on the survey, read about our methodology or download a pdf of the full survey.

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