JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Northen Panhandle Mental Health Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
09/01/04
Mental health docket frequency:
Weekly
Number of participants per year:
101-200
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court accepts participants with only Axis I diagnoses
    • 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
  • Participants' charges may be reduced 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
    • Court and service components funded by:
  • State funds
  • State mental health funds
  • Private foundation grants

    • JMHCP Grantee Information

    Grant Year
    2010

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Northen Panhandle Mental Health Court

    Contact:

    Name:
    James Lee
    Title:
    Chief Probation Offiucer
    Organization:
    Northen Panhandle Mental Health Court
    Address:
    840 Charles St.
    Wellsburg, WV 26070
    Email:
    jameslee@wvcrt.org
    Phone:
    304-737-3669

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Northen Panhandle Mental Health Court

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Mixed
    Date accepted first participant:
    09/01/04
    Mental health docket frequency:
    Weekly
    Number of participants per year:
    101-200
    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
  • State mental health agency representative
  • Substance abuse treatment provider
  • Housing provider
  • Consumer of mental health services
  • Consumers' advocate
  • Supervisory-level law enforcement official
  • Pretrial services staff
  • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
  • Prosecutor
  • Public defender

    • Eligibility Criteria

    Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court accepts participants with only Axis I diagnoses
    • Clinical exclusion criteria:
  • Primary substance use disorders
    • Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
  • 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
  • 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 notified when individuals enter the court program
    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)
    • Prosecutor
    • Defense attorney
    • Treatment provider or case manager employed by the court
    • 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
      • Diversion options
      • Treatment engagement
      • Substance abuse treatment

      Participant Information

      Primary sources of referrals:
      • Law enforcement
      • Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
      • Family/friends of the defendant
      • Jail staff
      • Judges
      • Magistrates
      • Pretrial services staff
      • Prosecutors
      • Defense attorneys
      Mental health screening conducted by:
    • Court personnel with mental health background / experience
    • Pretrial services staff
      • Mental health assessment conducted by:
    • Community mental health service provider
      • 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:
    • 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 a finding of guilt
      • Case disposition upon successful program completion:
    • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
    • Participants' charges may be reduced 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
      • Terms of participation:
      They are individualized based on the clinical diagnosis
      The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
      Yes
      Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
      • Min-1yr Misd.Max18 mos Felony
      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
      48 hours
      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 criminal justice background
      Services available to court participants:
      • Assistance in locating 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
      • Individual psychotherapy
      • Group psychotherapy
      • Family therapy
      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
    • Increased time between status hearings
    • Food items or gift certificates from local businesses
      • Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
      • Jail
      • Expulsion from the program
      • 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)
      • Home visits
      • Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)
      • Community service

      Sustainability

      Court and service components funded by:
    • State funds
    • State mental health funds
    • Private foundation grants
      • Has the court received media coverage?
      Yes
      Is there published research on the court program?
      Yes
      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.

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