BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEFERRED PROSECUTION PROGRAM

The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office seeks funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Program for the project titled “Behavioral Health Deferred Prosecution Program”.  This project supports the Tenth Judicial Circuit’s established Behavioral Health Court in Highlands County.  The Behavioral Health Court will divert mentally ill defendants away from jails and into community-based mental health treatment with judicial oversight. Using a non-adversarial approach, the program stresses a closely coordinated effort between the Court, attorneys, law enforcement and community treatment and service agencies to address complex social and behavioral health problems that cause these defendants to cycle repeatedly through the criminal justice system.