Pretrial Diversion Docket

The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), seeks to increase public safety through innovative cross-system collaboration for individuals with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal or juvenile justice systems. This program is funded through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act of 2004 (MIOTCRA) (Public Law 108-414). The program is designed to increase public safety by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health and substance abuse treatment systems to increase access to services for offenders with mental illness. Activities under this initiative encourage early intervention for 'system-involved' individuals with mental illness; provides new and existing mental health courts with various treatment options; maximizes diversion opportunities for nonviolent offenders with mental illness and co-occurring disorders; promotes training for justice and treatment professionals on criminal justice processes and mental health and substance abuse issues; and facilitates communication, collaboration, and the delivery of support services among justice professionals, treatment and related service providers, and governmental partners.

The Hamilton County's Juvenile Court will establish, through its Pretrial Diversion Docket (PDD), a diversion model program for youth with serious emotional disturbances who are at risk for on-going criminogenic behavior, but who do not have a history of extensive contact with the juvenile justice system. The PDD will divert youth to services at the pretrial stages of proceedings to assess and address adequately emotional and behavioral issues, using a collaborative and coordinated approach to treatment for both the youth and the family.

CA/NCF