Muscogee County Mental Health Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
02/04/08
Mental health docket frequency:
Superior Court meets 2x per month, state court meets at least two times per month, generally more
Number of participants per year:
51-100
Clinical eligibility criteria:
    Clinical exclusion criteria:
  • Primary substance use disorders
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
    • 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 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
  • Private foundation grants

    • Muscogee County Mental Health Court

    Contact:

    Title:
    Pattillo
    Organization:
    Muscogee County Mental Health Court
    Address:
    2100 Comer Ave
    Columbus, GA 31907
    Email:
    cpattillo2newhorizonscsb.org
    Phone:
    706-596-5510

    Muscogee County Mental Health Court

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Urban
    Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
    Crisis Intervention Team being trained
    mental health treatment provided to DJJ probationers
    Date accepted first participant:
    02/04/08
    Mental health docket frequency:
    Superior Court meets 2x per month, state court meets at least two times per month, generally more
    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:
    • Community mental health service provider
    • Consumer of mental health services
    • Consumers' advocate
    • Supervisory-level law enforcement official
    • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
    • Prosecutor
    • Public defender
    • Corrections department head

    Eligibility Criteria

    Clinical eligibility criteria:
      Clinical exclusion criteria:
    • Primary substance use disorders
      • Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
      • They were established with an understanding of the jurisdiction's treatment capacity
      Legal eligibility criteria:
      • Misdemeanors
      • Misdemeanor probation violations
      • Felonies (property)
      • Felonies (nonviolent)
      • Felony probation violations
      Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
    • Yes, individuals with past violent crimes are excluded from participation
      • Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
      the DA's office communicates with the victims, I am not sure to what extent. I have contact with the victims when they are family members of the participants, and the participant signs a release
      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
        • Job orientation:
        Staff are oriented on-the-job

        Participant Information

        Primary sources of referrals:
        • Family/friends of the defendant
        • Defendants themselves (self-referral)
        • Jail staff
        • Judges
        • Prosecutors
        • Defense attorneys
        Mental health screening conducted by:
      • Community mental health service provider
        • Mental health assessment conducted by:
      • Community mental health service provider
      • Staff of mental health court
        • 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
      • Participants plead guilty and have their sentence deferred
      • 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
        • 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 individualized based on the offense and the clinical diagnosis
        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 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:
        No, the state determines legal competence before an individual is referred to the court program
        Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
        4 months
        After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
        see below
        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 accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
      • Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
      • Inpatient mental health treatment
      • Outpatient mental health treatment
      • Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
      • Medication management
        • 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
        • The court does not have a standardized list of rewards / incentives
        • Praise from the judge
        • Increased time between status hearings
        • 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:
      • 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.)
      • The court does not have a standardized list of sanctions.
      • 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)
      • Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)

        • Sustainability

        Court and service components funded by:
      • State mental health funds
      • Private foundation grants
        • 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.

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