A Mental Health Court in Berrien County which opened last January is one of nine in the state funded as pilot projects by the State Court Administrative Office. It deals with underlying mental illnesses that can keep people like Amanda enmeshed in the criminal justice system.
From the Herald Palladium:
The new court is set up to solve problems by bringing together prosecutors, probation officers and mental health professionals. They work as a team to help people convicted of crimes who have certain diagnosed mental illnesses, emotional disturbances or developmental disabilities.Read more
The case load is small, currently 10 people, but the problems are complex, and working out solutions is a time-consuming process.
"These are challenging people," said Berrien County Trial Court Judge Angela Pasula, who oversees the program with Chief Judge Alfred Butzbaugh.
Mentally ill people can have a range of other problems - from unemployment, homelessness and lack of family support to poor physical condition and drug or alcohol problems.
"Some of these people literally don't have a place to go," Pasula said.
The new court aims to stabilize and improve the social functioning of mentally ill people convicted of felony or misdemeanor offenses.
Accomplishing those goals can mean a better qualify of life for those involved, improve public safety and reduce recidivism, officials say.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment