The Mental Health Court
works to increase effective cooperation between the mental health
treatment system and the criminal justice system. Misdemeanor
defendants with mental illnesses have a single point of contact with
the court system and work with a dedicated team including judge,
prosecutor, defender, treatment court liaison, and probation officers.
For the mentally ill misdemeanant population the goal is to achieve
faster case processing time, improved access to public mental health
treatment services, improved well-being, and reduced recidivism. For
the larger community the goal is improved public safety.
King County District Court--Mental Health Court: A division of King County Government.
Municipal Court of Seattle--Mental Health Court: A division of Seattle City Government
An outcome report released
February 17, 2004, demonstrates the impressive impact of the King
County Mental Health Court, located in Seattle, Washington.
Highlights included a 76 percent reduction in offenses committed and a
90 percent reduction in jail days for program participants, as compared
with the year prior to their involvement in the court. King County's
court, which launched in February 1999, is one of the longest running
mental health courts in the country.
The
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) is the Federal agency charged with
improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and
rehabilitation services in order to reduce illness, death, disability,
and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses.
The
Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project is a national
effort coordinated by the Council of State Governments (CSG) to help
local, state, and federal policymakers and criminal justice and mental
health professionals improve the response to people with mental illness
who become involved in, or are at risk of involvement in, the criminal justice system.
Why are so many people with serious mental illnesses homeless?
"
People with serious mental illnesses are over-represented among the homeless population. While only four percent
of the U.S. population has a serious mental illness, five to six times
as many people who are homeless (20-25%) have serious mental illnesses."
[National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness]
Mental Health Courts
Around Washington State
