DALTON, Ga. — During a session of Mental Health Court, Superior Court Judge Scott Minter told participants not to worry about what phase of their treatment plan they were in.

“Just be concerned about what you have to do each day — taking your medicine, going to your counseling,” he said. “If you do that you will progress through each phase.”

Minter at times seemed more like a sports coach or big brother, praising those who were progressing in the program and listening as they talked about what had gone on in their lives since they had last been in court.

“We want to keep them in the program,” he said.

The court is fully funded by a state grant and covers the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, which includes Whitfield and Murray counties. It is the circuit’s third accountability court, following Drug Court and Domestic Violence Court. Mental Health Court recently began operations and has three participants, but Minter said it can handle up to 20 at one time.

“I took the steps to establish Mental Health Court because in my years of experience in the criminal justice system, I have seen the need for a court resource to mandate, coordinate and provide treatment for the mentally ill,” Minter said. “With the closure of so many of our state mental hospitals, it has become necessary for us to address this problem on the local level.

“It is my hope that Mental Health Court keeps the community safer with increased supervision of mentally ill defendants, while at the same time saving taxpayer dollars by decreasing incarceration costs and recidivism. Mental Health Court may not be the answer to all of the mental health issues in the criminal justice system, but I hope that it will be a significant and positive step forward.”

Participants must have an identifiable mental health issue that is directly related to their criminal case. The program is voluntary, but it provides participants with an alternative to jail or prison.

“Our mission with Mental Health Court is to improve the mental health of our participants by holding them accountable in a structured setting to ensure that they receive mental health treatment and fully engage in their mental health recovery,” Minter said. “The ultimate goal is to improve public safety, reduce repeated interaction with the criminal justice system and reduce criminal justice costs to the community by decreasing the number of jail bed days of the mentally ill defendant.”

In a recent speech in Dalton, Gov. Nathan Deal, who has championed accountability courts, said the three-year recidivism rate, the rate at which offenders commit more crimes, is just 2 percent for those who complete an accountability court program, compared to 33 percent for those who come out of prison.

“What we want are people who are moderate- to high-risk, who are likely to come back into our criminal justice system if we don’t do something for them,” Minter said. “But we also have to assess their needs. Are we the best program to meet their needs? There are some people who don’t need the level of treatment, the level of scrutiny, the level of supervision we provide.

“On the other hand, there are people whose risks and needs are higher than we can treat. They may be too dangerous for us to have in the program. Or their psychological problems are so severe we can’t address it with the resources we have.”

Minter said defendants can be referred for assessment to be in the program by their attorneys, prosecutors, jailers in both Murray County and Whitfield County and even other judges.

“We have two people in our program who were referred by Domestic Violence Court,” he said. “They identified there was a mental health issue there. The determination was that we could better serve them.”

Mental Health Court has a team of individuals from various parts of the criminal justice system who help evaluate each referral, and they are all in court when it meets each Thursday.

“Anyone can make a referral to Mental Health Court as long as the person has an open criminal charge,” said Coordinator Angie Anderson. “We are a post-adjudication court. Most of the time they come in here on probation.”

Cat Pyne represents the public defender’s office.

“As a defense attorney, my role is to make sure that the participants know their rights and that their rights are protected,” she said. “In terms of working with the team, my focus is in keeping people in the program. It’s in their best interest to stay in the program.”

Accountability Court Administrator Jennifer Richardson oversees all three of the Conasauga circuit’s accountability courts.

“We are looking to the future of making this a very cohesive treatment center, where Domestic Violence Court, Drug Court and Mental Health Court share services and become one treatment facility and make the best use of our money,” she said.

Minter said the court’s biggest challenges so far have been the housing and transportation issues of potential participants.

“Many don’t have a stable or appropriate residence or means of transportation to and from treatment or court,” he said. “This has affected our ability to accept into the program some people who have those issues, because we don’t want to set them up to fail when they don’t have a reliable way to get back and forth to their many court-ordered treatment sessions. We are looking for community partners to assist us with providing our participants with assistance with transportation or housing needs.”

Meet and greet

Mental Health Court will hold a meet and greet drop-in Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Whitfield County Courthouse vending area, entry level floor. You will have a chance to meet the staff, ask questions and gather information about the court that serves Murray and Whitfield counties. Refreshments will be provided.

There will be a donation box set up in the vending area near the food tables for anyone who would like to donate items to the court. These items will be used as incentives for the participants. Wanted are small items that are easy to carry. Items could include:

• Hygiene products (soap, razors, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.).

• Personal items (socks, slippers, makeup, etc.).

• Small ($5) gift cards.

Requirements to participate in Mental Health Court

• Must have a documented or documentable primary diagnosis of severe and persistent mental illness.

• Be at least 18 years of age.

• Be facing a potential sentence of 24 months or more.

• Be a resident of Murray or Whitfield County.

• Must not be on parole.

• Must not be affiliated with a criminal street gang.

• Must not be a registered sex offender.

• Must be charged with acts that are reasonably linked to the person’s mental health diagnosis.

• Must not be charged with or convicted of the following offenses: murder, armed robbery, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated child molestation, child molestation, cruelty to children in the first degree, vehicular homicide, arson, gang activity charges or any current firearms charge.

• Must be mentally competent to voluntarily enter the program.

Source: Superior Court Judge Scott Minter