Mental Health Courts

In “Mitigating Mental Health Defenses,” First Assistant Ed McCann of the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office explored various mental health defenses in capital cases and how prosecutors can counter them effectively. A career prosecutor who has been on the front lines of many high-profile cases, McCann provided webinar viewers with anecdotal insights and practical tools to take straight into trial.

“Mass Shootings & Victim Issues” focused on a topical and complex subject that is likely at the forefront of many prosecutors’ minds. Presented by DA George Brauchler, widely known as the prosecutor of James Holmes, the Aurora gunman, this webinar homed in on the issues district attorneys face while prosecuting such cases, while providing anecdotal insights and lessons learned along the way.

After receiving The Arc's Pathways to Justice Training in January 2019 under this grant, the Rockland County District Attorney's Office requested additional assistance developing a standalone training for legal professionals - an effort to ensure that prosecutors in the region remained informed on I/DD issues long after the Pathways training. Although the training content wasn't finalized during the grant period, The Arc joined Vera for an assessment call to learn more about the office's second request for assistance.

CSG Justice Center staff delivered a training session on screening and assessment to inform eligibility and suitability decisions for mental health diversion. This training included both a presentation and facilitated discussion of hypothetical diversion applicants.

At the 13th National Best Practices Meeting in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 2019, a participant requested TTA in the form of information on community-based treatment programs for low-level offenders with substance abuse and mental health needs. In response to this request, JSS provided a research brief that summarized the existing research on the subjects, provided citations, and recommended supplemental reading.

Site visit to Solano County, CA?with the goals of:
???????Observe docket for Solano County Mental Health Court
???????Provide a training for court partners on mental illness in the court room
???????Facilitate discussions on target population and the effects of state legislation on the mental health court
???????Review plans for data collection and program evaluation and how data can inform potential program modifications

Mentor Courts serve models for individuals and court teams interested in starting an Adult Drug Court or for established courts
interested in learning innovative practices.

This session will explore how tribal courts can work effectively and respectfully with members of the LGBTQ2S community. The webinar will provide a basic overview of terminology and will discuss some of the challenges that the LGBTQ2S community faces. The webinar will also provide some practical tips that courts can use when working with the LGBTQ2S community.

The St. Francois County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney's Office requested assistance through BJA NTTAC to enhance its the office’s operations and prepare a report detailing recommendations and best prosecutorial practices in the following areas: office organization and structure, case processing and quality of work, training, and evaluation, and addressing their current heroin and opioid issues. ​Kris Hamann was selected to facilitate the assistance and conducted a two-day onsite visit with the agency in November 2019 and January 2020.

Prior to the assessment, NCJFCJ staff conducted a Trauma-Informed Court Training for about six people, which included the judge, court staff, and social services staff. Over the course of the two-day assessment, site visit activities involved observation of court facilities, including building exterior and interior entrances, waiting areas, a n d courtroom. The assessment staff also observed Healing to Wellness case staffing, as well as hearings on both dependency and Healing to Wellness dockets.