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Judge Cynthia L. Cox Circuit Court Judge Judicial Circuit Cox PPT on MH Court February 2… · 19th...

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Judge Daryl Isenhower Saint Lucie County Court Judge 19 th Judicial Circuit Judge Daryl Isenhower Saint Lucie County Court Judge 19 th Judicial Circuit Judge Cynthia L. Cox Circuit Court Judge 19 th Judicial Circuit
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Judge Daryl Isenhower

Saint Lucie County Court Judge

19th Judicial Circuit

Judge Daryl Isenhower

Saint Lucie County Court Judge

19th Judicial Circuit

Judge Cynthia L. Cox

Circuit Court Judge

19th Judicial Circuit

Mental Health Courts

Up Close!The Honorable Cynthia L. Cox, Circuit Judge

February 28, 2017

Issues We ALL Face in Florida

50th in nation for funding mental health

services

3rd in nation for rate of incarceration

Over 125,000 mentally ill booked in

jail/prison each year

23% can be classified as severe and

persistent mentally ill

Issues We ALL Face in Florida (cont.)

Over 13,000 people on wait list for

services from Agency for Persons with

Disabilities

Mentally ill offenders vs. non-mentally ill

offenders

Spend twice as long in jail

Costs counties up to 5x more to

house

Why Mental Health Court?

Substantial number of mentally ill offenders in jail charged

with low level offenses

No effective connection to community services for mentally ill

offenders in jail

Synergy with other problem solving courts

Diversion strategy needed to address unique needs & slow

recidivism (8.9% vs. 78% statewide)

Addresses PUBLIC SAFETY concerns of community

IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!

St. Lucie County 35% of jail population suffer from mental illness

Approximately 468 individuals of 1335 average jail population

22% of jail population on psychotropic medication

Approximately 299 individuals

584 incidents related to suicide

Cost to house mentally ill offender is 5x more in St. Lucie

County; $350/day vs. $71.31/day due to medications and

therapy

January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016

448 Baker Acts (Road Patrol)

68 Baker Acts (Jail)

Logic Model Flow Chart

How Mental Health

Courts Work

Assessment and individualized treatment plan

Assigned a case manager

Assessment and/or application for benefits

Appropriate placement/housing

Counseling or referral for therapy, vocational rehab, psycho-social learning, etc. Mental Health

Substance Abuse

Med Management

Entering Mental Health Court (cont.)

State Attorney makes decision to transfer client to MHC; if victim is

involved, victim must also agree to transfer.

Public Defender meets with client and explains conditions of MHC

Client pleads, if competent, and Order transferring (if diversion) or

condition of probation or condition of conditional release.

Order releasing bond or ROR’g with MH Court conditions entered.

What happens upon completion of MHC?

If client is not in MHC as a condition of probation or on Conditional

Release (ITP/NGI), the charges are dismissed upon successful

completion.

Administrative Order has detailed procedures/qualification

REFFERALS

Where do referrals come from?

Jail Medical

State Attorney

Public Defender

Family request

Case management or other mental health providers

Arrest affidavit/ law enforcement

Staff and Services Case managers (provide assessments, apply for

benefits, make referrals/ connect for services)

Peer Counselors

Medication Management

Therapy

Drug Testing

Transitional housing & faith based programs

12 step programs

Transportation

What’s the Difference?

The adversarial aspect of court is set aside

during staffing.

Staffing is conducted with a therapeutic mindset.

The relationship between the judge and client is

very important.

Clients must feel that they are given a voice.

Our 19th Judicial Circuit TeamJudge

Public Defender

State Attorney

Court Administration Case Managers

Jail Medical

Pre-trial services

Probation

Court deputies (CIT trained)

Our MHC Team (Cont.)

Clerk

Mental health providers (Members of the MHC

Program Office & New Horizons including LHMC,

Service Engagement, Case Managers, Peer

Specialists)

Community service providers & group homes

Faith-based dual diagnosis programs

Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Department of Children and Families

What does the Florida

Supreme Court say

about Mental Health

Court?

The origin of mental health courts stemmed from

situations similar to those preceding the

development of drug courts – repeat offenders in

need of treatment services. With available

community resources dwindling for people with

serious mental illness (SMI), the courts were

seeing more repeat offenders with untreated

mental illness. Florida’s jails and prisons are not

designed, equipped, or funded to deal with SMI,

so the use of the drug court model/problem-

solving court model was a logical response.

Mental health courts generally share the following

goals: to improve public safety by reducing criminal

recidivism; to improve the quality of life of people with

mental illnesses and increase their participation in

effective treatment; and to reduce court- and

corrections-related costs through administrative

efficiencies and often by providing an alternative to

incarceration. Monitoring and treating offenders with

SMI in a mental health court is more effective, efficient,

and less expensive than the remedies available through

traditional justice system approaches.

As of December 2016, Florida has 28 mental

health courts in operating in 16 circuits. Like drug

courts, mental health courts hold offenders

accountable while linking them to the treatment

services they need to address their mental illness.

Monitoring and treating offenders with SMI in a

mental health court is more effective, efficient,

and less expensive than the remedies available

through traditional justice system approaches.

QUESTIONS?


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