Earlier
this
month I
had the
opportunity
to
attend
the
second
annual
Mental
Health
Courts
Conference
sponsored
by the
DuPage
County
Health
Department
and the
Mental
Health
Court
Association
of
Illinois.
The
sessions
were
very
informative
and
showed
that
progress
is being
made
toward
the
decriminalization
of
mental
illness.
The idea
behind
mental
health
courts
is to
keep
persons
with
mental
illness
out of
the
criminal
justice
system
and get
them
into
treatment.
In a
county
with a
mental
health
court
system
the
process
goes
something
like
this.
When a
person
with
mental
illness
is
arrested,
somewhere
along
the line
from the
initial
contact
with law
enforcement,
to
arrest
and
booking,
a law
enforcement
or court
official
recognizes
that the
individual
has
symptoms
of a
mental
illness.
Once in
a mental
health
court,
instead
of
criminal
charges
being
instituted,
the
individual
is
offered
the
opportunity
to go to
a mental
health
court
instead
of a
regular
court. A
team of
court
officials,
prosecutors,
public
defenders,
probation
officers
and
mental
health
service
providers
meets
and
arranges
a
program
of
treatment
with the
consumer.
The
consumer
returns
to court
on a
regular
basis to
meet
with the
judge
and the
team to
monitor
progress.
If the
consumer
is
keeping
up with
the
treatment
program,
he or
she gets
an “attaboy”
from the
judge,
but if
there is
back
sliding,
the
judge
will
keep
after
them,
often
times
reminding
them of
the
original
alternative
– the
regular
court
system,
indictment,
trial,
sentencing,
the
whole
thing.
In
mental
health
courts
the
judges
get to
know the
consumers
and
their
circumstances
quite
well.
And
often
the
intervention
of the
judge
can get
the
consumer
moved to
the head
of the
line
when
there
are
waiting
lists
for
treatment
programs.
When the
consumers
successfully
complete
their
treatment
programs,
they go
before
the
judge
one last
time.
The
judge
congratulates
them,
oftentimes
awarding
a
certificate
of
graduation!
And just
as
important,
charges
are
dropped
and the
record
expunged.
But does
it work?
The
answer
is yes.
One of
the
program
speakers
was Dr.
Henry
Steadman
of the
research
organization
Policy
Research
Associates
(http://www.prainc.com/html/default.asp).
His
presentation,
“Understanding
the
Effectiveness
of
Mental
Health
Courts,”
gave an
overview
of the
results
of
mental
health
courts
across
the
country.
His
first
point
was that
huge
numbers
of
people
in the
criminal
justice
system –
16%
overall
– have
active
symptoms
of
mental
illness.
And when
compared
with a
control
group,
those
whose
cases
are
assigned
to a
mental
health
court
show a
20 to
30%
decrease
in
recidivism.
While
that
effect
is not
huge, it
is quite
consistent
across a
variety
of
studies.
Studies
also
show
diverting
consumers
from
jail to
treatment
saves
money!
The cost
savings
resulting
from
reduction
in jail
time
more
than
offset
the cost
of the
treatment
programs
the
courts
used.
Better
outcomes?
Lower
costs?
Mental
health
courts
seem to
be a
win-win
solution
to the
criminalization
of
mental
illness.
Dr.
Steadman
also
talked
about
what
further
research
is
necessary.
He will
next be
looking
into the
details
of the
various
mental
health
court
systems,
to see
what
factors
contribute
most to
making a
program
successful.
Other
speakers
noted
that
mental
health
courts
often
make use
of
supportive
housing
programs
as a way
to keep
their
clients
off the
streets
and out
of
trouble.
One
speaker
observed
that
“having
a place
to live
permanently
often
opens
client’s
eyes to
hope and
the
possibility
of a
better
life,”
but
cautioned
that
supportive
services
are the
key to
success,
and must
be
available
if the
court is
to
succeed.
Several
speakers
noted
Illinois’
budget
woes and
threatened
service
cuts in
that
regard.
So far
nine
Illinois
counties,
including
Cook,
DuPage,
Kane,
Lake and
McHenry
Counties
in our
area,
have
established
mental
health
courts
and
three
more are
in the
process
of doing
so.
In Cook
County
so far,
mental
health
courts
have
been
established
in the
main
court at
26th and
California,
and at
the
Maywood
courthouse.
A third
mental
health
court is
due to
be
established
at the
Markham
courthouse
later
this
year and
discussions
are
underway
to set
one up
at the
Skokie
courthouse
in the
near
future.
Cook
County
court
officials
hope to
have a
mental
health
court in
every
courthouse
by the
end of
2011.
For more
information,
contact
Mark
Kammerer,
the
director
of
treatment
programs
for the
Cook
County
State’s
Attorney’s
Office
at
773-869-2258.
The
message
of the
day for
me was
that if
a
consumer
is
arrested,
the
outcome
will be
much
better
if they
(or
their
families)
can get
the case
assigned
to a
mental
health
court –
that is
assuming
one is
available
and that
it has
adequate
resources
to make
treatment
successful.
