NAMI-National Alliance on Mental Illness

Advocates for People with Mental Illness

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Welcome to NAMI of Lorain County

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Mental Health Court for Lorain County

Justice Evelyn Lyndberg Stratton is guest speaker for Mental Health Court luncheon hosted by NAMI Lorain County

On May 30, 2008, NAMI Lorain County hosted a luncheon for the purpose of bringing groups together to learn about creating a Mental Health Court in Lorain County.  The audience  of 100 included many judges, local law inforcement personnel, mental health personnel, parole officers and members of the general public.


 

The GOAL of the Mental Health Court Initiative is early identification of the Mentally Disordered or Developmentally disabled offender and linkages to treatment.  Access to this program can occur at any point in the criminal justice continuum.

Increasingly, more and more inmates' in the nation's jail and prison systems are mentally ill.  Jails and prisons have become the institutions of the last resort for the mentally ill.

Development of the Mental Health Court Docket became a critical collaborative initiative between the criminal justice and the mental health treatment systems.

In 2002, the Court of Common Pleas along with Suburban Court partners developed the Mental Health Court Docket model for presentation and ultimate acceptance at the Eighth District Judicial Conference.

The focus of this collaboration is the identify existing programs and services that serv these populations; to identify the gaps in services, and expand resources; to enhance communication and training which ultimately provides an efficient, effective and consistent criminal response.

Sponsors

The objectives of the collaboration are early identification and linkages to treatment services for offenders with mental illness or those offenders that are developmentally disabled.  Services include screening, assessment and sentencing responses, assertive community treatment, and crisis intervention teams.

Program highlights

  • Mental Health Liaisons provide recommendations to assist the Suburban Courts and Police Departments with the mentally ill and developmentally disabled offender.
  • Mental Health Liaisons visit the jails within 24 hours to provide evaluations and recommendations to the Police and Courts.
  • Access to the jails psychiatric ward and North Coast Behavioral Healthcare for stabilization.
  • Attorney consistency; an attorney appointed to defend the offender in the suburban courts is the same attorney who represents the offender at the common pleas felony level.
  • The County Prosecutor and Public Defenders office have a designated point person for the Mental Health Court Docket.
  • Specialized training for all individuals who interact with the offender; Judges, Attorneys, Police Officers, Probation Officers, etc.
  • Improved and enhanced communication with the County Mental Health Board, Associated Boards and linkages to appropriate resources.
  • Specialized judicial practices to address the mentally ill offender.

 

Visit this link to view a Hamilton County Judge testimonial:

                         http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/ACMIC/resources/learned.pdf

 

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