Press Room
The Consensus Project is coordinated by:
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| PROGRAM TITLE: |
Clackamas County Mental Health Court |
| AGENCY/ORGANIZATION: |
Clackamas County, Oregon |
| STATE: |
Oregon |
| YEAR ESTABLISHED: |
2001 |
| LEVEL OF JURISDICTION: |
County |
| ISSUE AREA: |
Courts: Adjudication and Sentencing |
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Program Overview
The Clackamas County Mental Health Court is a partnership of the Clackamas County Circuit Court (the Fifth Judicial District of the State Court), the District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Department, the County Probation Department, the Indigent Defense Corporation, the County Mental Health Department, the county branch of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and mental health consumers. It has heard cases since late 2001. It's mission is to mitigate risk to community safety by enhancing mental health treatment. The Mental Health Court received a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant in Nov., 2003 to enhance case management services to enrollees.
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Recent Updates
The Clackamas County Mental Health Court is planning a Technical Assistance session through the Council of State Governments. It is planned for January 24 and January 25, 2005 in Oregon City, OR. The focus will be on co-occurring disorder defendants going through treatment court. It is expected that Roger H. Peters, Ph.D of the University of south Florida will be the chief presenter.
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Recent Dialogue
Question for
John Humphrey
The King County Mental Health Court is struggling to balance its success in referrals with resources earmarked for it. Especially in terms of size of court calendars and available calendar time, caseload/ workload numbers, etc. The dedicated defense team and other team members are feeling overwhelmed and are asking how other MHCs address caseload and calendar size. Can you provide info from your court re this? Our caseload is about 1/3 felony reduced to misdemeanor and 2/3 misdemeanor charges.
- Lois Smith
03/02/07 04:11 PM EST
A: from John Humphrey,
1) The Clackamas County Mental Health Court does not have everyone appear regularly. Our Court schedules status reviews in such a way that dockets are manageable, not only in Court but in terms of staff preparation time before Court.
2) In Court we use a "quick call" and a "long call" system. "Quick Call" enrollees simply come forward, sign a notice for their next appearance and then are free to leave. "Quick Call" is an acknowledgement of compliance. It also helps manage the docket on any given day as all the "Quick Calls" come forward at the beginning of Court, as their names are called by the DA, and so within a few minutes that part of the Docket has been dealt with. "Long Call" enrollees are people who need to talk to the Judge because they have a question about their probation, there is a compliance problem, or the Judge wants to encourage or commend them. "Quick Call" involves little talk back and forth between the Bench and the enrollee; "Long Call" involves considerable dialogue.
3) Finally, we're becoming more sensitive during our screenings as to the the differential between drug induced psychosis, or the ongoing after-effects of drug induced mental disorders, versus more classical mental illness. That's not to say that our Court won't accept co-occurring people but we have to balance our census against our resources.
Hope some of that helps.
- John Humphrey 04/09/07 12:46 PM EST
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Program Description
The Clackamas County Mental Health Court hears all cases monthly on a dedicated docket. Ad hoc appearances can occur anytime during the month. Some enrollees are also seen in a mid-month case management check-in group. The Court staff consists of a Judge, a Deputy District Attorney, an Indigent Defense Attorney, a Coordinator, and a Mental Health Case Manager. All enrollees are expected to participate in mental health treatment, or drug and alcohol treatment, or both. The Court endeavors to work in a co-occurring disorder manner when appropriate, and there are linkages to the Clackamas County Adult Drug Court. The Court also serves Developmentally Disabled defendants.
The Court does not serve defendants with a history of person crimes or where the crime under consideration is a person crime. It is for misdemeanant defendants only, upon approval of the District Attorney's Office. The most common disposition is that defendants plead guilty, are given a suspended sentence, and are placed on Probation to the Court, with conditions. The conditions for entering the Clackamas County Mental Health Court are that: 1) enrollees follow agreed-upon treatment plan recommendations and stay active in mental health or drug and alcohol treatment, or both; 2) show up for all Court appearances as ordered; 3) and not commit new crimes while under the supervision of the Court. The Court employs a range of interventions from commendations, to encouragement, to community service assignments, to Jail time for non-compliance. Sanctions are used as a last resort. Defendants serving formal probation can also be served by the Mental Health Court with endorsement by the Probation Department and the District Attorney's Office.
Outcome Data
As of August 23, 2004, the Clakamas County Mental Health Court had served 61 defendants. Sixteen defendants had successfully completed the program and their Probation had been terminated. There had been at least two Revocations from the program for where defendants had been returned to the regular justtice system. Data regarding Revocations and Warrants for Failures to Appear in Court is still being refined.
Challenges / Areas for Improvement Identified
Many of the defendants enrolled in the Clackamas County Adult Drug Court and in the distinct Mental Health Court are dealing with co-occurring disorders. To effectively serve enrollees case planning needs to encompass concepts regarding the incidence, prevalence, and impact of substance abuse on the community, as well as vulnerable populations. Appropriate community responses need to be identified.
Documents
"Emerging Judicial Strategies for the Mentally Ill," Bureau of Justice Assistance, April, 2000-
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Staff from the Consensus Project, GAINS EBP Center, and GAINS TAPA Center have not conducted an empirical evaluation of any of the profiles provided in the directory. Accordingly, the Consensus Project, GAINS EBP, and GAINS TAPA do not promote any of these programs as "models" or "best practices." Nor does the directory reflect an inventory of all relevant efforts underway across the country. Administrators of the programs included in the directory are largely responsible for maintaining information about their initiative current. Accordingly, staff cannot guarantee that the information in the directory is completely current.
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