The Yolo County Mental Health Court team has published its outcome measures for fiscal year 2018-19, showing significant reductions in arrests, jail bed days and hospital bed days of Mental Health Court participants.
Mental Health Court is a minimum 18-month court-based treatment and monitoring system for adult offenders with a serious mental illness. It is designed to increase the treatment engagement of the participants while reducing both arrests, hospitalizations and jail time both during and after their involvement and participation in the program.
The program is a collaborative effort between the Yolo Superior Court, Probation Department, Health and Human Services Agency, and the Public Defender and District Attorney’s offices. Mental Health Court follows the Forensic Assertive Community Treatment model, where participants get intense services two hours per week or meet with staff four times per week.
The team provides participants with wrap-around treatment which includes a focus on mental health, substance abuse, housing, vocational and school and physical health. The goal is to address the criminogenic factors and reduce recidivism.
Of the 65 individuals assessed during 2018-19, 27 were enrolled in one of the collaborative courts. Twenty-four of those who did not enroll didn’t qualify because they didn’t suffer from a serious mental illness or they chose not to enroll.
For those who enrolled, when comparing the 12 months prior to starting Mental Health Court to the 12 months after Mental Health Court, there was a 89 percent decrease in arrests, a 90 percent decrease in jail bed days, a 52 percent decrease in local hospital bed days, and a 100 percent decrease in state hospital bed days.
“These numbers are astounding,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said. “It shows how dedicated this team is, particularly those providing the services, treatment and supervision. It also shows the hard work being done by the participants.”
Currently, there are 17 participants in Mental Health Court. In October, the team received news that the county would receive $747,280 in funding from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance over the next three years to support the expansion of Mental Health Court.
The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration grant will double the program’s capacity to 30. Funds will support hiring staff to provide services to these additional clients. The Health and Human Services Agency will hire a clinician and a peer support worker, and the Probation Department will hire a probation officer to supervise participants.
This grant proposal was prepared through a collaborative effort by the Yolo County Criminal Justice Grant Writing Team and existing Mental Health Court program staff. The Community Corrections Partnership (CCP) will match the grant funds with an additional $200,000 to help fund the full cost of the new positions.
In addition, the Collaborative Court Team, which staffs both the Mental Health Court and Addiction Intervention Court programs, was selected to receive Yolo County’s SPIRIT Award in the teamwork category. The annual SPIRIT Awards recognize outstanding work performed by county staff. The Board of Supervisors presented the award to the Collaborative Court Team at its Oct. 22 meeting.
December is a busy month for the team. On Dec. 2, the team attended the Woodland Ecumenical and Multi-Faith Ministries monthly meeting and discussed the Mental Health and Addiction Intervention Courts.
“This was a great presentation, and I am so pleased to know this is happening here in Woodland and Yolo County,” said Pastor Larry Love, WEMM chair. “It’s a great idea and should be offered in every county in California. Thank you for doing this.”
The team will celebrate at its staff holiday party at Morgan’s on Main in Woodland on Dec. 11. On Dec. 20, participants and past graduates will have a holiday party with team members in the County Atrium in Woodland. Participants are busy rehearsing a comedy skit where they have each been cast in the role of team members.
Moving into 2020, on Jan. 27-29, members of the team will attend a three-day California District Attorneys Association training in San Diego titled “Navigating the Complexities of Mental Health Cases.” The team was one of three counties selected to present information on its successful Mental Health Court model to those attending the training from District Attorney offices throughout California.
Finally, on March 11-13, team members will travel to Monterey to attend the 45th annual Forensic Mental Health Association of California conference to present how to build a successful Mental Health Court. Lastly, in early 2020, the team looks forward to three graduations. The graduations are powerful and transformative events and members of the public are encouraged to attend.