JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Skagit County Mental Health Court

Quick Facts:

Date accepted first participant:
11/01/04
Mental health docket frequency:
every other week
Number of participants per year:
0-50
Clinical eligibility criteria:
  • The court accepts participants with only Axis I diagnoses
Clinical exclusion criteria:
  • Primary substance use disorders
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
  • Misdemeanors
  • Felonies (property)
  • Felonies (nonviolent)
    • Case disposition upon successful program completion:
  • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
    • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
    • Participants' cases are processed by the mental health court for charges that were held in abeyance
    Court and service components funded by:
  • Tax levy

    • JMHCP Grantee Information

    Grant Year
    2010

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Skagit County Mental Health Court

    Contact:

    Name:
    Rebecca Clark
    Title:
    Program Coordinator
    Organization:
    Skagit County Mental Health Court
    Address:
    601 So. 2nd Street
    Mount Vernon, WA 98273
    Email:
    rebeccac@co.skagit.wa.us
    Phone:
    360-336-9395

    JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Skagit County Mental Health Court

    General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning

    Grantee Year:
    Rural
    Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
    CIT Training
    Jail Transition Program
    Date accepted first participant:
    11/01/04
    Mental health docket frequency:
    every other week
    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
  • Housing provider
  • Consumer of mental health services
  • Supervisory-level law enforcement official
  • Prosecutor
  • Public defender
  • Corrections officer

    • 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 through the court's experience and expertise
    • Legal eligibility criteria:
  • Misdemeanors
  • Felonies (property)
  • Felonies (nonviolent)
    • Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
      Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
      This area is being developed.
      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 community mental health service provider
        Job orientation:
        Staff are oriented on-the-job
        Ongoing training:
          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

          • Participant Information

          Primary sources of referrals:
          • Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
          • Family/friends of the defendant
          • Prosecutors
          • 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:
          • Participants' charges are held in abeyance and then dismissed upon successful program completion
          Case disposition upon successful program completion:
        • Participants' charges may be dismissed upon successful completion
          • Case disposition upon unsuccessful program completion:
          • 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:
          • 12 , 24
          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:
          No, the state determines legal competence before an individual is referred to the court program
          Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
          2-4 months
          After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
          two weeks
          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 which includes both mental health backgrounds and criminal justice backgrounds
          Services available to court participants:
        • Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
        • Victim-defendant mediation
        • 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
        • Civil (legal) services assistance
        • Inpatient mental health treatment
        • Outpatient mental health treatment
        • Integrated substance abuse and mental health treatment
        • Medication management
        • Individual psychotherapy
        • Group psychotherapy
          • 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
        • 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
          • 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:
        • Tax levy
          • 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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