Pretrial Diversion Docket

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
2007
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
  • Developmental disabilities
  • Traumatic brain injuries
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
  • Ordinance offenses / violations
  • Misdemeanors
    • 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 sentencing
    • Participants' cases are processed by the mental health court for charges that were held in abeyance
    Court and service components funded by:
  • Federal funds
  • Municipal mental health funds
    • Jurisdiction Level
    county
    Jurisdiction Type
    1
    Age Level
    juvenile
    Criminal Justice System Focus
    Diversion

    Pretrial Diversion Docket

    Contact:

    Name:
    Deanna Nadermann
    Title:
    Specialized Court Coordinator
    Address:
    800 Broadway, 7th floor
    Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
    Email:
    Dnadermann@juvcourt.hamilton-co.org
    Phone:
    513-946-9258

    Pretrial Diversion Docket

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Urban
    Level of government at which court operates:
    County
    Date accepted first participant:
    2007
    Mental health docket frequency:
    Weekly
    Number of participants per year:
    0-50
    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
  • Consumer of mental health services
  • Consumers' advocate
  • Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
  • Court administrator / program director
  • Prosecutor
  • Public defender

    • 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
  • Developmental disabilities
  • Traumatic brain injuries
    • 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
    • Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
  • Yes, individuals with past violent crimes are excluded from participation
  • Yes, individuals with past sex offenses are excluded from participation
  • Yes, individuals with past arson offenses are excluded from participation
    • Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
    Permission is required from the victim in order for the defendant to partidcipate in the program

    Court Team and Training

    Personnel who participate in case staffings:
    • Court administrator / program director
    • Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
    • Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
    • Representative from Mental Health Access Point, the gateway into public mental health services
    Job orientation:
    Staff receive peer-to-peer training
    Ongoing training:
  • Yes, there are annual training requirements.
  • 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
  • Information sharing with community mental health service providers
  • Local mental health services and community treatment capacity
  • Diversion options
  • Gender-specific treatment and services

    • Participant Information

    Primary sources of referrals:
  • Magistrates
  • Pretrial services staff
    • 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
  • Staff of mental health court
    • 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
    • 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 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:
    Yes
    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 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
    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:
    • Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
    • Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
    • Outpatient 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:
    Some
    Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
    • Certificates or other tokens for completing stages of treatment
    • 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
    • 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:
    • 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)
    • Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)
    • Community service

    Sustainability

    Court and service components funded by:
  • Federal funds
  • Municipal mental health 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.

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