Cook County Mental Health Unit

Overview

Jurisdiction Level

County

Description

To be eligible for supervision in the mental health unit, probationers must have a diagnosis of mental illness and/or mental retardation. Pedophiles and those who have been found unfit to stand trial are not eligible for the program. Probationers are mandated to receive mental health services ranging from outpatient counseling to psychiatric hospitalization and nearly all are on psychotropic medication. The most common diagnoses are Axis I psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, severe mood disorders, and bipolar disorder).


Staff in the unit have mental health-related experience and training. Officers supervise reduced caseloads of approximately 50 probationers and work closely with treatment providers and a contracted clinical consultant to ensure comprehensive case management. Officers perform a number of duties including: conducting clinical assessments; making referrals; completing detailed supervision plans; monitoring compliance with probation conditions, medication requirements, and other treatment objectives; helping probationers to obtain disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and medical cards; and serving as advocates for probationers in their effort to obtain mental health services.


Contact standards are dictated by the three phases. Each phase lasts a minimum of three months. Prior to advancing to a less restrictive phase, probationers must meet strict criteria. Probationers may be returned to a previous phase if compliance problems arise. Upon successful completion of all three phases, cases may be transferred to standard probation supervision if the following criteria have been met:


* all needs have been adequately addressed by appropriate referrals;

* there have been no violations of probation or involuntary hospitalizations during any of the probation sentence;

* there have been no inpatient treatment or hospitalizations in the past eight months; and

* all special conditions ordered by the court have been met