JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Joshua Tree Mental Health Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
07/01/04
Mental health docket frequency:
Weekly
Number of participants per year:
0-50
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • 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:
  • Primary substance use disorders
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
    • Ordinance offenses / violations
    • Misdemeanors
    • Misdemeanor probation violations
    • Felonies (property)
    • Felonies (nonviolent)
    • Felony probation violations
    Case disposition upon successful program completion:
  • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
    • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
  • Participants must serve their deferred sentence
  • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing
  • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for sentencing

    • JMHCP Grantee Information

    Grant Year
    2010

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Joshua Tree Mental Health Court

    Contact:

    Name:
    Rae Packard
    Title:
    Mental Health Court Coordinator
    Organization:
    Joshua Tree Mental Health Court
    Address:
    55475 Santa Fe Trail
    Yucca Valley, CA 92284
    Email:
    raepackard_mbcrc@juno.com
    Phone:
    760-365-3022, 768

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Joshua Tree Mental Health Court

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Rural
    Date accepted first participant:
    07/01/04
    Mental health docket frequency:
    Weekly
    Number of participants per year:
    0-50
    Planning and oversight/advisory group:
      Oversight group members:
      • Community mental health service provider
      • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
      • Public defender
      • Corrections department head

      Eligibility Criteria

      Clinical eligibility criteria:
    • 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:
    • Primary substance use disorders
      • Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
    • They were established through the court's experience and expertise
      • Legal eligibility criteria:
      • Ordinance offenses / violations
      • Misdemeanors
      • Misdemeanor probation violations
      • Felonies (property)
      • Felonies (nonviolent)
      • Felony probation violations
      Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
      • 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:
    • The court's rules regarding participant confidentiality limit victims' rights to notification and participation in the court program

      • Court Team and Training

      Personnel who participate in case staffings:
      • Judicial officer (e.g. judge or magistrate)
      • Prosecutor
      • Defense attorney
      • Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
      • Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
      Job orientation:
      Staff receive peer-to-peer training
      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
      • 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
      • Cultural competence
      • Gender-specific treatment and services
      • Substance abuse treatment

      Participant Information

      Primary sources of referrals:
      • 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:
      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
      • Case disposition upon successful program completion:
    • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
      • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
    • Participants must serve their deferred sentence
    • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for case processing
    • Participants are returned to the court of original jurisdiction for sentencing
      • Terms of participation:
      They are individualized based on the offense
      The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
      Yes
      Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
      • Min: 18 months, Max: 2 years
      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:
      No
      The court has standard protocols for establishing legal competence of potential participants:
      Yes, the court program has a system for establishing legal competence aside from the state system
      Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
      2 weeks
      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:
      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)
    • Supported employment
    • Court sponsored 'alumni' groups
    • Civil (legal) services assistance
    • Outpatient mental health treatment
    • Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
    • Medication management
    • Group psychotherapy
      • 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
      • Praise from the judge
      • 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.)
      • Journal assignments
      • 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

      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.

      If you are a representative of a similar program not yet listed in our database, please register and take the survey to contribute your information.

      Explore the Justice Center’s Websites
      CSG Justice Center Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project Justice Reinvestment National Reentry Resource Center Reentry Policy Council