Spokane District/Municipal Mental Health Court

1. Spokane District/Municipal Mental Health Court

2. Sales Tax Initiative • The Spokane County Commissioners requested a vote of the public to fund SSB 5763 which would fund therapeutic courts. The citizens voted in November 2005 for an increase in 1/10 of one percent of the sales tax to fund mental health treatment and therapeutic courts. (RCW 82.14.460) • In December of 2008, this initiative was extended by the BoCC until 2014.

3. Mental Health Court • The Mental Health Court represents an effort to increase effective cooperation between the mental health treatment system and the criminal justice system. • The project has achieved the following outcomes for the mentally ill misdemeanant population: • improved access to mental health treatment services • improved well-being • reduced recidivism • improved public safety

4. Mental Health Court • In the regular system, misdemeanant defendants often interact with multiple defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges. • In the past, mentally ill offenders often spent unnecessary time in jail and, lacking access to mental health treatment services on release, became repeat offenders and cycled through the justice system again and again.

5. Mental Health Court • The Mental Health Court Team consists of a Judge, Court Manager, Prosecuting Attorneys, Defense Attorneys, MH Court Evaluator, Court Case Manager, Probation Officers and support staff. • The team interacts regularly with treatment providers, Eastern State Hospital Legal Offender Unit, jail discharge staff and other important partners, including housing specialists and financial resource officers.

6. Referrals • Referral Sheet • Release of Information (ROI) • Criminal History • Exclude Sex Offenders, Felonies, Serious Violent Offenses • Accept Felony Reductions

8. Criteria • Clinical Criteria: serious and persistent mental illnesses (Axis I) • Legal Criteria: low-risk, non-violent offenses (misdemeanors or gross misdemeanors)

9. Spokane Mental Health Therapeutic Courts MH Pre-Conviction MH Post-Conviction Diagnosis of a major mental illness Diagnosis of a major mental illness* Amenable to treatment and capable of completing the MHTC Phases Unable to complete Pre-adjudication SOC Traditional negotiation, Defendant pleads Guilty “Opts-In” to the MHTC, enters into an SOC (Stipulated Order of Continuance) Accesses mental health/substance abuse treatment and services through Probation Begins 5 Phases of the MHTC & accesses services Appears for periodic Treatment Reviews Appears for Treatment Reviews & completes assignments/ requirements of each Phase May be returned to court for probation violations Graduates from the MHTC and case is dismissed, receives certificate Successfully completes Probation requirements and case(s) closed, receives certificate

10. STATISTICS

11. 2012 Charges383 Defendants, 898 Cases, 1082 Charges

12. 2012 Referrals229 Total

13. Defendants Per Jurisdiction383 Total

14. Services Obtained by MHC 6% not in services for 2012 were in BW status, incompetent or deceased

15. MHTC Services Breakdown

16. Referred Services491 Referrals

17. Evaluations

18. Diagnosis

19. 2012 MHC Defendantsw/ Co-Occurring Diagnosis

20. Defendant Contacts Individual Contacts Total Number of Court Appearances with Judge for all Individuals: 2168 Total Number of MHTC In-Person Contacts with Other Court Staff: 798

21. 383 Defendants 2012 MHC Male/Female Defendant Breakout 2012 Average MHC Defendant Ages 2012 MHC Homeless Population

22. Outcomes • Reduce jail costs through decreasing recidivism • Serve the criminal system and the community • Serve mentally ill offenders in an effective process

23. Recidivism for Pre-Conviction Graduates 2008 to 2012

24. 2005 to 2011 Jail Days(Actual) 845 Defendants = $3+ Million SAVED (excluding psych medication costs)

25. For Further Information Judge Debra Hayes Presiding MH Court Judge 509-477-2963 drhayes@spokanecounty.org Sandy Manfred, MS MH Court Manager 509-477-2277 smanfred@spokanecounty.org