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County to launch mental health court July 15

Villager, The (The Woodlands, TX) - 6/24/2016

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office is addressing mental health in the county with the creation of a Mental Health Treatment Court to offer intervention for those who suffer chronic mental health issues that end up in the court system and to reduce recidivism rates.

Montgomery County commissioners approved the creation of the court May 24 then approved the addition of a chief prosecutor in the DA’s Office for the court June 14. The salary for the position is $108,838.86, plus benefits.

The court will begin hearing cases July 15.

According to The Council of State Governments Justice Center, a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state and federal levels, the number of mental health courts has grown from four in 1997 to more than 300 today, with programs found in almost every state.

“Once they come into the court system, can we identify a diagnosable, treatable illness tied to the crime they have committed,” District Attorney Brett Ligon said. “Then we are going to look at it; can we get them out, can we help them and are they treatable.”

Ligon said violent crimes will not qualify for the mental health court.

According to “Adults with Behavioral Health Needs Under Correctional Supervision: A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery,” prepared by The Council of State Governments Justice Center with support from, and in partnership with, the National Institute of Corrections and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, state corrections and behavioral health administrators know that large numbers of adults with mental health and substance use disorders are churning through the nation’s criminal justice, behavioral health and social support systems, often with poor individual, public health and community safety results.

“People with mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or both, often take varied pathways into the criminal justice system,” the report states. “Once involved, however, they tend to get caught up in a whirlpool fueled by relapse and an inability to comply with the requirements of their incarceration, supervision and release. Their conditions tend to deteriorate, and they often get ensnared in the system again and again because they lack effective integrated treatment and supervision. ... The impact on individuals and their families can be devastating.”

According to the report, 17 percent of inmates in jail and 16 percent in state prisons have serious mental illness. The report also states that 68 percent of inmates in jail and 53 percent of inmates in state prisons have substance use disorders (alcohol or drugs).

For Montgomery County, Ligon said, the court would focus on what he calls the big three: schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and depressive disorders (including those who are suicidal).

“What we are trying to do is see if there is a population that can be affected from the patrol level and diverted before they get into the criminal justice system or identified once they get into the system,” Ligon said. “This is with an eye to figuring out who the population is and what steps can be taken to either divert them from the criminal justice system or find a way to effectively treat them so they don’t come back.”