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JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court
Quick Facts:
- Date accepted first participant:
- September 2007
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 0-50
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with Axis I diagnoses if the diagnoses correspond to state criteria for “serious and / or persistent mental illness”
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
-
- Primary substance use disorders
- Developmental disabilities
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Legal eligibility criteria:
-
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Misdemeanor probation violations
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felony probation violations
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Court and service components funded by:
- County
JMHCP Grantee Information
- Grant Year
- 2010
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court
Contact:
- Name:
- Erica Usher
- Title:
- Mental Health Court Coordinator
- Organization:
- Chatham County Superior Court
- Address:
- 133 Montgomery Street, Room 616
Savannah, GA 31401 - Email:
- Eusher@Chathamcounty.org
- Phone:
- 912-652-7167
JMHCP Grantee (2010) -- Chatham-Savannah Mental Health Court
General: Jurisdiction, History, and Planning
- Grantee Year:
- Mixed
- Date accepted first participant:
- September 2007
- Mental health docket frequency:
- Weekly
- Number of participants per year:
- 0-50
- Planning and oversight/advisory group:
- The court had a planning committee that has evolved into an oversight/advisory capacity
- Oversight group members:
-
- Community mental health service provider
- State mental health agency representative
- Substance abuse treatment provider
- Housing provider
- Consumers' advocate
- Judicial officer (e.g. a judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Public defender
- Corrections officer
Eligibility Criteria
- Clinical eligibility criteria:
- The court accepts participants with Axis I diagnoses if the diagnoses correspond to state criteria for “serious and / or persistent mental illness”
- Clinical exclusion criteria:
-
- Primary substance use disorders
- Developmental disabilities
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Establishment of clinical eligibility criteria:
-
- They were established in consultation with mental health treatment providers
- They were established with an understanding of the jurisdiction's treatment capacity
- They were established according to the jurisdictions' needs
- They were established through the court's experience and expertise
- Legal eligibility criteria:
-
- Ordinance offenses / violations
- Misdemeanors
- Misdemeanor probation violations
- Felonies (property)
- Felonies (nonviolent)
- Felony probation violations
- Effect of criminal history on eligibility:
-
- Yes, individuals with past violent crimes are excluded from participation
- Yes, individuals with past sex offenses are excluded from participation
- Degree to which crime victims are involved in court processes:
- Victims are not involved in court processes
Court Team and Training
- Personnel who participate in case staffings:
-
- Judicial officer (e.g. judge or magistrate)
- Court administrator / program director
- Prosecutor
- Defense attorney
- Treatment provider or case manager employed by community mental health service provider
- Community supervision officer (probation or parole)
- Job orientation:
- Staff are oriented on-the-job
- Ongoing training:
- Yes, if there is funding to support training for staff or team members.
- Training topics:
- Overview of mental illness (e.g. recognizing symptoms or medications)
- Integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Treatment engagement
- Substance abuse treatment
Participant Information
- Primary sources of referrals:
- Defense attorneys
- Mental health screening conducted by:
- Court personnel with a criminal justice background / experience
- Mental health assessment conducted by:
- Community mental health service provider
- Point at which full mental health assessment conducted:
- Before eligibility is determined
Terms and Duration of Participation
- Legal mechanism by which participants are accepted into court program:
- Participants opt into the court after committing a probation violation
- Participants plead guily and the program becomes part of their probation.
- Case disposition upon successful program completion:
- Participants' time under supervision may be reduced
- Terms of participation:
- They are standard with individualized terms routinely added
- The court uses a formal, standard written contract for all participants:
- Yes
- Minimum and maximum periods of participation:
- Min. 12 month; Max. 30 months
- Average length of participation:
- 1 year to 2 years
Confidentiality and Informed Choice
- The court obtains written consent to release personal information:
- Yes, participants sign a single release
- Court-supervised treatment becomes part of the participants' criminal record:
- No
- The court has standard protocols for establishing legal competence of potential participants:
- No, the state determines legal competence before an individual is referred to the court program
- Length of time to assess participants' legal competence
- 48 hours
- After assessment of legal competence, length of time before assessment of clincial competence:
- One month
- Defense counsel helps potential participants decide whether to enter the court:
- Yes
Monitoring, Supervision, Treatment, and Adherence
- Monitoring and supervision of participants primarily performed by:
- Probation
- Services available to court participants:
-
- Emergency psychiatric services (crisis stabilization)
- Assistance in locating housing
- Assistance in accessing benefits (e.g. Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, veterans)
- Transportation (e.g. bus fare, rides to program-related appointments)
- Supported employment
- Inpatient mental health treatment
- Outpatient mental health treatment
- Substance abuse treatment (independent from mental health treatment)
- Medication management
- Group psychotherapy
- Court-supported services available after program completion:
- Some
- Rewards and incentives applied to participants who adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- Certificates or other tokens for completing stages of treatment
- Graduation ceremonies
- Early completion of participation in court program
- Praise from the judge
- Increased time between status hearings
- Food items or gift certificates from local businesses
- Extended privileges (e.g. where people are allowed to live, whom them may visit, furloughs and leaves of absence)
- Sanctions applied to participants who do not adhere to terms of treatment plans:
- Jail
- Expulsion from the program
- Modifications in treatment plan (e.g. more frequent appointments with a case manager, adjustment to medications, increased drug screening, etc.)
- Judicial reprimands
- Increased frequency of status hearings
- Increased supervision intensity (e.g. meetings with a probation officer or case manager, drug testing, visits to court on a normal docket day)
- Restriction of privileges (e.g. curfew, travel)
- Community service
Sustainability
- Court and service components funded by:
- County
- Has the court received media coverage?
- Savannah Morning News, Jan Skutch
- Is there published research on the court program?
- No
About this information:
A program representative provided this information details through a detailed survey.
For more information on the survey, read about our methodology or download a pdf of the full survey.
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