MENTAL HEALTH DRUG COURT is a specialized court that seeks to craft a meaningful response to the problems posed by defendants with co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness in the criminal justice system.

Addressing both the treatment needs of defendants with mental illness and the public safety concerns of the community, the mental health court uses the authority of the court to link defendants with serious and persistent mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) who would ordinarily be jail- or prison-bound to long-term treatment as an alternative to incarceration.

The Court aims to improve the court system’s ability to identify, assess, evaluate and monitor offenders with mental illness, create effective linkages between the criminal justice and mental health systems, and improve public safety by ensuring that participants receive high quality community-based services.

Currently, there are Mental Health Drug Courts in the following locations: