Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2006, $150,000)
The Mental Health Courts Program helps improve the social functioning of qualified offenders with mental illness, mental retardation, or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders through treatment, supervision, stable employment, housing, and supports services. The purpose of this award is to fund one additional mental health court demonstration project that reflects innovative and collaborative efforts for system-wide court improvements for offenders with mental disabilities or illnesses.
The 20th Judicial District of Colorado (Boulder County) oversees a significant number of defendants with mental illness. Nearly half of the individuals have a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. The County has taken significant steps to provide high-quality services that address the needs of mentally-ill defendants. For example, the Chief Judge of the 20th Judicial District formed two working committees comprised of judicial, law enforcement, and probation to help develop and implement numerous programs that serve individuals with mental illness. Despite these significant efforts, certain gaps in service delivery currently exist. The most significant delay is identifying and serving defendants with mental illness who are entering the court system. The 20th Judicial District seeks to expedite its service delivery by utilizing the 2006 Mental Health Court award to establish an Integrated Treatment Court (ITC) that specifically addresses individuals with mental illness.
The ITC will provide a specially trained judge to preside over the ITC; a social worker trained to identify defendants with mental illness; a probation officer to supervise defendants with treatment-related conditions; and diagnostic, treatment, and support services dedicated specifically to the ITC. Federal funds will cover personnel salaries and fringe (judge, social worker, probation officer, clerk, and court reporter); office supplies (computers, copier fees, and cell phones); consultant fees (mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, and pre-sentence evaluation services); and various incentives for ITC participants.
CA/NCF