When I was in Las Vegas at the NAMI Nevada state convention, I met Judge McGroarty. Judge McGoarty talked about the Mental Health Court in Las Vegas. The judge told us how Mental health Court started in May 2003. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department suggested to the Eighth Judicial District Court that Mental health Courts could be one possible solution for the growing population of severely mentally ill in hospitals and jails.
Las Vegas has eighty-three thousand people who are mentally ill and seven thousand of them are homeless. The court needed funding, so on May 26th, 2003 the Eighth Judicial District Court submitted a grant application to the Bureau of Justice Assistance to start their Mental Health Court. They received their grant award on September 30th, 2003; it was for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That is not enough money to operate Mental health Court in Las Vegas, but it is a good start. Reno Mental Health Court does have a grant for "EJ" - the Service from the State of Nevada. Because they get their funding from the state, more consumers are in the Reno Mental Health Court today.
With 345 referrals in Las Vegas jail and only twenty-eight active consumers in Mental Health Court, many consumers will be sitting in jail for a long time. The consumers in jail need the programs that Mental Health Court has available to them. Jail is not going to help the consumer's recovery from their illness.
Another problem is it takes seventy-five days from the time you are arrested in Las Vegas to be accepted for Mental Health Court. Funding is a serious problem in Las Vegas. Judge McGroarty is a good man. He wants the consumer out of jail as soon as possible and into treatment programs.
I had a nice talk with Reno Mental Health Coordinator, Sheila Leslie. She wants the state of Nevada to fund Las Vegas Mental Health Court. Then they can add more consumers to their calendar. There are one hundred and fifty consumers on the calendar for Reno Mental Health Court and fourteen of them graduated last year; because the Las Vegas Mental Health Courts have not been in session long enough, there have been no graduates.
There are a few ways to enter Mental Health Court. A court service officer will come to jail and help the consumer sign the consent form A social worker screens the consumer in jail and helps him with consent forms as well. A psychiatrist can evaluate the consumer for severe mental illness and fill out the referral form. The public defender can help the consumer enter the Mental Health Court. At the initial arraignment, the Justice or Municipal Court Judge can indicate that a consumer is a good candidate for mental Health Court.
There are four Mental Health Court goals that are important to the consumer and the community:
1) Mental Health Court wants to provide wrap-around services. Some of these services are substance abuse programs, housing programs and treatment programs that will help the consumer recover in the future.
2) The next goal is to de-criminalize the severely mentally ill. Mental illness is a disease that effects the brain and it should be treated like an illness.
3) The third goal is to protect public safety. Neither the consumer nor the public should get hurt.
4) The last goal is to reduce recidivism and the cost that is associated with repeated incarceration. This means that Mental Health Courts want to reduce any relapse and stop the cost that is associated with returning back to jail.
Judge Peter I. Breen is Reno Mental Health Court judge. Judge Breen is the most experienced judge for Mental health Court in Nevada. Mental Health Court was established two and a half years ago. There is a projected two hundred consumers for the next year's calendar. That is progress and it will change the lives of so many mentally ill people. With compassion for the mentally ill and concern, Judge Breen makes the consumer believe that recovery is possible. Treatment works and Judge Breen uses the programs to improve the quality of life that is so important to the consumer. Thanks to Judge Breen, some consumers are leading productive lives in society while others are enjoying their recovery.
There is a growing need for more Mental Health Courts in our nation. Treatment works and recovery is possible. For a fresh start in life, the mentally ill need Mental Health Courts in every state in our nation...
