Commissioners Court Meeting

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Meeting Date:	05/09/2016
Authorization and Resolution Approval for a Grant Application
Submitted for:	Gracie Garcia	Submitted By:	Gracie Garcia
Department:	111th District Court

Subject:

Discussion and possible action to approve a Resolution and authorize the submission of a grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance and establish a Mental Health Court Program. Grant Number BJA-2016-9205

Issue: It has been documented that offenders with mental illness are readily falling through the cracks in an inadequate criminal justice system. This appears to be due to the lack of mental health services and facilities available to the. This has brought to the fore the urgent need for a judicial system that could specifically advance these services to them. The presence of defendants with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system imposes substantial costs on that system and a substantial harm on the community.

Solution: Judge Notzon began a pilot Mental Health Court program which emphasizes public safety, diverts defendants with mental illness from incarceration to appropriate treatment facility and community resources.

Result: If funded, the program would be designed to identify and address the unique needs of the criminal offenders with behavioral needs. Mental Health Court would represent an effort to increase effective cooperation between the criminal justice system and the mental health system. Positive results are seen with faster processing time, improved access to mental health treatment services and reducing recidivism.

Background:

Attached Letter of Intent and responses to possible Commissioner's Court questions in regards to grant.

Previous Court Action:

This will be the 3rd year the 111th will be applying for this extremely competitive grant. Commissioner's Court has approved its three previous applications in hopes of funding this crucial program.

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	N/A
Funding Source:	N/A
Balance:	N/A
Financial Impact:
N/A

Attachments
Letter of Intent To Apply
Background
Resolution