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Utah State Third District Mental health Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- July/2001
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 51-100
- 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
- Legal eligibility criteria:
- 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' cases are processed by the mental health court for charges that were held in abeyance
Utah State Third District Mental health Court
Contact:
- Name:
- Allan Rice
- Title:
- Clincial Director
- Organization:
- Utah State Third District Mental health Court
- Address:
- 443 South 600 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84102 - Email:
- allanr@vmh.com
- Phone:
- 801 538 2057 #280
Utah State Third District Mental health Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Urban
- Other collaborative criminal justice/mental health initiatives in community:
- Salt lake City Police Crisis Intervention Team
- Date accepted first participant:
- July/2001
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 51-100
- Planning and oversight/advisory group:
- The court currently has an oversight/advisory committee with substantially different membership than its planning committee
- Oversight group members:
-
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency representative
- Housing provider
- 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 Axis I diagnoses if the diagnoses correspond to state criteria for “serious and / or persistent mental illness”
- 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:
- 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 about a range of court events (e.g. admission, court proceedings, case disposition, etc.)
- 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
- Substance abuse treatment
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Mental health / substance abuse treatment providers
- Jail staff
- Judges
- 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
- Participants are sentenced to participation after a finding of guilt
- 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
- 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 clinical diagnosis
- The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
- Yes
- Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
- Felonies 36 months misdemeanors 18 months
- Average length of participation:
- Three years or more
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:
- Yes
- 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
- Varies dependent on the individual particpant
- After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
- Varies, dependent on the individual particpantD
- 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)
- Supported employment
- 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:
- Yes
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
-
- Graduation ceremonies
- Early completion of participation in court program
- Priority position in the order of cases called
- Praise from the judge
- Increased time between status hearings
- 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.)
- 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
- Community service
Sustainability
- 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.
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