Utah State to Host Second Annual Regional Mental Health Court Conference

Prisons have become the de facto institutions for persons with serious and persistent mental illness as more than half of inmates in local jails and state prisons are estimated to suffer from mental illness. Scholars at Utah State University argue there is a better way to protect public safety and reduce the number of people incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit with malfeasance.

The university will host the second Intermountain Mental Health Court Conference July 18 and 19 to connect mental health and criminal justice professionals from Utah and other states to learn and share effective mental health court practices. The conference will provide opportunities for practical application of presentation materials, interactive brainstorming sessions and strategic planning to promote state-wide collaboration on mental health court organization and operation, as well as the role of criminal justice in rehabilitation and mental health recovery.

“We hope to be able to share the most up-to-date information available with those who are actively involved in mental health courts,” said Terry Peak, a professor of social work, who helped organize the event. “Mental health courts are an excellent example of change from the bottom up.”

Mental health courts have emerged in recent decades as a way to mitigate the burden on jails and provide a window for more appropriate community treatment. They divert people with severe and persistent mental health issues who commit nonsexual, nonviolent crimes from the prison system into the behavioral health system. Mentally ill offenders undergo monitored treatment with the goal of connecting them to support services that allow them to function in society.

“In the past decade, jurisdictions across the country have been working to address the problems identified as the over-representation or ‘criminalization’ of people with serious mental illness in local criminal justice and correctional systems,” said Dennis Kirkman, mental health court administrative supervisor at Bear River Mental Health. “These programs are designed to work with certain justice involved individuals with mental illnesses outside of correctional facilities in favor of outpatient treatment and intensive court monitoring.”

Mental Health courts are an alternative to the traditional criminal justice approach for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness whereby attention is devoted not just to accountability, but also to issues of both procedural as well as restorative justice, he said.

Generally, an individual must demonstrate an active involvement in treatment as well as effective management of his or her mental illness and sustained compliance with defined rules and structure in order to graduate from the program. However, mental health courts vary in their scope and operation statewide. The conference brings together voices from across the justice system to share training and organizational expertise. The conference will also provide information regarding community resources and current practices to community members with loved ones entangled in the mental and criminal justice systems.

Judge Stephanie Rhoades of the Anchorage District Court, a pioneer of mental health courts in the United States, will give a plenary talk on June 18. She established one in her district in 1998 after watching mentally ill offenders cycle through the courts and arrested because it was the only way they could receive treatment. Judge Rhoades has developed curricula for judges to assist in cases involving mentally ill offenders and will discuss her experience operating a mental health court in her talk.

Logan is home to the First District Mental Health Court. It was created in 2008 by Judge Kevin K. Allen who presides over the court and will speak about successes and challenges. Attendees will also hear from Hallie Fader-Towe, project director for the Justice Center at The Council of State Governments. She works with districts nationwide on planning and implementing court-based strategies that address the needs of individuals with mental illness. She will discuss emerging research and practice on designing and implementing mental health courts and lead a breakout session about an innovative on-line training resource developed by the Justice Center for mental health courts.

The Intermountain Mental Health Court Conference began in 2011 with the goal of building a network of support to further the development of the statewide mental health court system in Utah. This year’s conference offers general and role-based conference break-out sessions relative to various legal, operational, procedural and clinical mental health court issues. Experts will share methods for achieving program compliance, demonstrate tools and strategies in working with mentally ill offenders and offer guidance about the development and operation of mental health court programs.

The public is invited to hear Judge Rhoades’ plenary talk on Wednesday, July 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. Cost is $25 and lunch will be provided. Contact 1-800-538-2663 before July 5 to secure reservations.

The conference is sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the State of Utah Judiciary, Bear River Mental Health Services and the Intermountain Logan Regional Hospital.

More about Judge Rhoades and information on attending the full two-day conference is online at the conference website.

USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Writer: Kristen Munson, (435) 797-0267, kristen.munson@usu.edu

Contact: Terry Peak, terry.peak@usu.edu