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JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cook County Felony Mental Health Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- 05/01/04
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 51-100
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Legal eligibility criteria:
-
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felony probation violations
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- Participants must serve their deferred sentence
- Court and service components funded by:
-
- Federal funds
- State funds
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cook County Felony Mental Health Court
Contact:
- Name:
- Mark Kammerer
- Title:
- Director, Treatment Programs, Cook Co. State's Attorney's Office
- Organization:
- Cook County Felony Mental Health Court
- Address:
- 2650 South California Ave., Room 14C30
Chicago, IL 60077 - Email:
- markkammerer@hotmail.com
- Phone:
- 773-869-2258
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Cook County Felony Mental Health Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Urban
- Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
-
There is a linkage to treatment program for individuals with mental health issues leaving jail.
- Date accepted first participant:
- 05/01/04
- 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:
- Line-level law enforcement official
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency head
- Substance abuse treatment provider
- Housing provider
- Consumer of mental health services
- 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 any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
- 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:
-
- 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 “driving under the influence” 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 contacted and must give their approval before the individual is admitted
- 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:
- 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
- Information sharing with community mental health service providers
- Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
- Treatment engagement
- Cultural competence
- Gender-specific treatment and services
- Trauma issues
- Substance abuse treatment
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
-
- Jail staff
- Judges
- Mental health screening conducted by:
- Probation officer
- Mental health assessment conducted by:
- Community mental health service provider
- Corrections staff
- 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:
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
- Participants must serve their deferred sentence
- 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:
- Yes
- Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
- everyone is sentenced to 24 months probation
- 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:
- 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
- One month
- After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
- One week
- 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
- 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
- Substance abuse treatment (independent from mental health treatment)
- Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
- Medication management
- Court-supported services available after program completion:
- Some
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
-
- Praise from the judge
- Increased time between status hearings
- Wrap around services such as help with clothing, home repairs, purchasing materials for school and employment, etc.
- 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
- Journal assignments
- 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
- 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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