To return to the Local Program Example Database, click here
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Mental Health Courts, Los Angeles, California
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- 01/01/30
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Every day
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Primary substance use disorders
- Legal eligibility criteria:
-
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- 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
- Court and service components funded by:
- State funds
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Mental Health Courts, Los Angeles, California
Contact:
- Name:
- Timothy Dowell
- Title:
- Administrator III
- Organization:
- Mental Health Courts, Los Angeles, California
- Address:
- 1150 N. San Fernando Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065 - Email:
- tdowell@lasuperiorcourt.org
- Phone:
- 323 226 2944
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Mental Health Courts, Los Angeles, California
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Mixed
- Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
-
Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Court Program - Date accepted first participant:
- 01/01/30
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Every day
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- Planning and oversight/advisory group:
- Oversight group members:
-
- Line-level law enforcement official
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency representative
- Consumer of mental health services
- Consumers' advocate
- Supervisory-level law enforcement official
- Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Public defender
Eligibility Criteria
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Primary substance use disorders
- 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 according to the jurisdictions' needs
- They were established through the court's experience and expertise
- Legal eligibility criteria:
-
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
- No
- 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:
-
- Prosecutor
- Defense attorney
- Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
- Job orientation:
- Staff receive peer-to-peer training
- Ongoing training:
- Training topics:
-
- Overview of mental illness (e.g. recognizing symptoms or medications)
- The court process and legal considerations
- Information sharing with community mental health service providers
- Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Law enforcement
- Jail staff
- Judges
- Prosecutors
- Defense attorneys
- Mental health screening conducted by:
-
- Community mental health service provider
- Court personnel with mental health background / experience
- 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' charges are held in abeyance and then dismissed upon successful program completion
- Varies depending on charge
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- 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
- 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:
- No, there are no minimum or maximum periods of participation
- 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:
- Yes, the court program has a system for establishing legal competence aside from the state system
- Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
- Persons are committed to the State Hospital for competency training, depends on the individual as to the length of time.
- 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:
- Community mental health service providers
- Services available to court participants:
-
- Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
- Inpatient mental health treatment
- Outpatient mental health treatment
- Court-supported services available after program completion:
- Yes
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- The court does not use rewards or incentives
- Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- The court does not use sanctions.
Sustainability
- Court and service components funded by:
- State funds
- Has the court received media coverage?
- No
- 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.