Clark County/Las Vegas Mental Health Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
12/01/03
Mental health docket frequency:
Weekly
Number of participants per year:
51-100
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court accepts participants with only Axis I diagnoses
  • 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:
      Legal eligibility criteria:
    • Ordinance offenses / violations
    • Misdemeanors
    • Misdemeanor probation violations
    • Felonies (property)
    • Felonies (nonviolent)
    • Felonies (violent)
    • 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:
      • State mental health funds
      • Court fees

      Clark County/Las Vegas Mental Health Court

      Contact:

      Name:
      Steven Roll
      Title:
      Specialty Courts Manager
      Organization:
      Clark County Mental Health Court
      Address:
      200 Lewis Ave.
      Las Vegas, NV 89015
      Phone:
      702-671-4505

      Clark County/Las Vegas Mental Health Court

      General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

      Grantee Year:
      Urban
      Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
      CIT Teams
      Date accepted first participant:
      12/01/03
      Mental health docket frequency:
      Weekly
      Number of participants per year:
      51-100
      Planning and oversight/advisory group:
    • The court had a planning committee that has evolved into an oversight/advisory capacity
      • Oversight group members:
      • State mental health agency representative
      • State mental health agency head
      • Substance abuse treatment provider
      • Housing provider
      • Consumers' advocate
      • Supervisory-level law enforcement official
      • 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
    • 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:
        Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
      • They were established in consultation with mental health treatment providers
      • They were established with an understanding of the jurisdiction's treatment capacity
      • They were established through the court's experience and expertise
        • Legal eligibility criteria:
      • Ordinance offenses / violations
      • Misdemeanors
      • Misdemeanor probation violations
      • Felonies (property)
      • Felonies (nonviolent)
      • Felonies (violent)
      • 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
        • 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 the court
        • 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:
        • 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
          • The court process and legal considerations
          • Graduated sanctions and the role of coercion
          • Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
          • Diversion options
          • Treatment engagement
          • Gender-specific treatment and services
          • Substance abuse treatment

          Participant Information

          Primary sources of referrals:
          • Jail staff
          • Judges
          • Pretrial services staff
          • Defense attorneys
          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' charges are held in abeyance and then dismissed upon successful program completion
        • Participants plead guilty and have their sentence deferred
        • 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
        • 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 standard with individualized terms routinely added
          The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
          No
          Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
          • 12 months misdemeanor, 24 months GM/Felony
          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:
          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
          Competency Court can determine competence within two weeks.
          After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
          The court program does not assess 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 financing housing
          • Assistance in accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
          • Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
          • Child care
          • Inpatient mental health treatment
          • Outpatient mental health treatment
          • Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
          • Medication management
          • Individual psychotherapy
          • Group psychotherapy
          • Family therapy
          Court-supported services available after program completion:
          Yes
          Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
          • Certificates or other tokens for completing stages of treatment
          • Graduation ceremonies
          • Early completion of participation in court program
          • 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
          • Reduced/waived fees for probation supervision or drug testing
          • Wrap around services such as help with clothing, home repairs, purchasing materials for school and employment, etc.
          • 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:
          • State mental health funds
          • Court fees
          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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