JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Orange County Homeless Outreach Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
October, 2003
Mental health docket frequency:
Weekly
Number of participants per year:
101-200
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court does not have any clinical requirements for eligibility
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
  • Ordinance offenses / violations
  • Misdemeanors
  • Misdemeanor 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
    • Court and service components funded by:
  • Each participating agency provides staff to cover court proceedings, and services are provided as ususal course of business for treatment providers.

    • JMHCP Grantee Information

    Grant Year
    2010

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Orange County Homeless Outreach Court

    Contact:

    Name:
    Laura Morfin
    Title:
    Collaborative Court Coordinator
    Organization:
    Orange County Superior Court
    Address:
    700 Civic Center Drive West
    Santa Ana, CA 92702
    Email:
    lmorfin@occourts.org
    Phone:
    714-569-2226

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Orange County Homeless Outreach Court

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Urban
    Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
    WIT Court, START Court, Recovery Court, Veterans Court
    Date accepted first participant:
    October, 2003
    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:
  • Line-level law enforcement official
  • Community mental health service provider
  • Housing provider
  • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
  • Court administrator / program director
  • Public defender

    • Eligibility Criteria

    Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court does not have any clinical requirements for eligibility
    • Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
    • The homeless outreach court serves all homeless clients, a significant number do have a mental health diagnosis but it is not requried for participation in the program
    Legal eligibility criteria:
  • Ordinance offenses / violations
  • Misdemeanors
  • Misdemeanor probation violations
    • Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
  • No
    • Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
    Victims are not involved 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
    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
    • Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
    • Treatment engagement
    • Cultural competence
    • Gender-specific treatment and services
    • Trauma issues
    • Substance abuse treatment

    Participant Information

    Primary sources of referrals:
    • Law enforcement
    • Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
    • Family/friends of the defendant
    • Defendants themselves (self-referral)
    • Judges
    • 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:
    Before eligibility is determined

    Terms and Duration of Participation

    Legal mechanism by which participants are accepted into court program:
  • 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
    • Terms of participation:
    They are individualized based on the offense
    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:
    0.5 years to 1 year

    Confidentiality and Informed Choice

    The court obtains written consent to release personal information:
    Yes, participants sign multiple releases whenever 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
    One month
    After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
    The court program does not assess 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:
  • Assistance in locating housing
  • Assistance in accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
  • Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
  • Civil (legal) services assistance
    • Court-supported services available after program completion:
    Yes
    Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
  • Graduation ceremonies
  • Early completion of participation in court program
  • 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:
    • Restriction of finances (e.g. appointment of a representative payee)
    • Expulsion from the program
    • Modifications in treatment plan (e.g. more frequent appointments with a case manager, adjustment to medications, increased drug screening, etc.)
    • Judicial reprimands
    • Journal assignments
    • 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)
    • Community service

    Sustainability

    Court and service components funded by:
  • Each participating agency provides staff to cover court proceedings, and services are provided as ususal course of business for treatment providers.
    • 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.

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