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JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Mental Health Treatment Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- September/1998
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Every day
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Misdemeanor probation violations
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- 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
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Participants' records may be expunged
- 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:
-
- Federal funds
- State funds
- State mental health funds
- Private foundation grants
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Mental Health Treatment Court
Contact:
- Name:
- Stephen Manley
- Title:
- Superior Court Judge
- Organization:
- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Mental Health Treatment Court
- Address:
- 191 North First Street
San Jose, CA 95113 - Email:
- smanley@scscourt.org
- Phone:
- (408) 491-4840
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Mental Health Treatment Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Mixed
- Date accepted first participant:
- September/1998
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Every day
- Number of participants per year:
- More than 500
- 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
- Substance abuse treatment provider
- Housing provider
- Pretrial services staff
- Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Public defender
- Corrections officer
Eligibility Criteria
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with any Axis I or Axis II mental health diagnoses
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
- Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
- They were established according to the jurisdictions' needs
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Misdemeanor probation violations
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felonies (violent)
- Felony probation violations
- Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
- Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
- victims can and do appear in cases where they have a concern and are encouraged to do so and notify the court of concerns.
- 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
- Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
- Job orientation:
- Staff receive peer-to-peer training
- 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
- Treatment engagement
- Cultural competence
- Gender-specific treatment and services
- Trauma issues
- Victim's issues
- Substance abuse treatment
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Jail staff
- Judges
- Prosecutors
- Defense attorneys
- Mental health screening conducted by:
- Mental health assessment conducted by:
- 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 are sentenced to participation after a finding of guilt
- 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
- Participants' charges may be reduced upon successful completion
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Participants' records may be expunged
- 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:
- No, there are no minimum or maximum periods of participation
- Average length of participation:
- Three years or more
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
- 3 weeks, but participant may be placed in community treatment while this takes place
- After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
- See above response, # 42
- 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:
- all of the above depending on the defendant
- Services available to court participants:
- Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
- Assistance in locating housing
- Assistance in financing 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
- 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:
- 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
- The court does not have a standardized list of rewards / incentives
- Praise from the judge
- Increased time between status hearings
- Reduced/waived fees for probation supervision or drug testing
- Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
-
- Jail
- 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)
- Home visits
- Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)
Sustainability
- Court and service components funded by:
-
- Federal funds
- State funds
- State mental health funds
- Private foundation grants
- Has the court received media coverage?
- Yes
- Is there published research on the court program?
- BJA, also we are part of a 5 year evaluation under a grant from the MacArthur Foundation
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
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