MCKINNEY (WBAP/KLIF) – Collin County has launched a new specialty court intended to divert mentally ill offenders into a court-supervised outpatient treatment program instead of the traditional criminal justice process.
Judge Jennifer Edgeworth of the 219th District Court will preside over the program with Judge Lance Baxter of County Court at Law 3. The specialty court also includes program coordinator Donald Bell, case manager Michelle Garcia, specialist Molly Craft, and defense attorney Kim Laseter. The program combines mental health treatment with frequent court appearances, home visits, case management, counseling and community based support services.
The specialty court team will work together with community partners such as LifePath Systems to provide mental health treatment for offenders, safeguard the community, and decrease the need for hospitalization and incarceration.
“Collin County continues to make great strides serving those with mental health concerns. We are proud the new diversion court for offenses involving persons with mental illness has been created and appreciate another opportunity to assist those suffering from mental health issues in the criminal Justice system and provide them with services needed to remain stable.” Danielle Sneed, Deputy Clinical Officer of LifePath Systems.
The specialty court was funded by a grant from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office last fall, and is open to people 17 and older with a mental health diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective, major depression, bipolar and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Its start-up target is to bring 40 eligible cases into the alternative program. The court will begin accepting eligible felony and misdemeanor cases on Feb. 23.
Officials estimate that the diversion program, described as an “intensive community supervision model,” will run from 9-12 months for each participant, and those who complete it successfully can get their cases dismissed and expunged from court records. The program is expected to compliment Collin County’s Mental Health Managed Counsel Program, which is one of a handful of county advocacy programs in Texas for the mentally ill.
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