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Mayor Nutter announces the formation of city's first Mental Health Court
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Mayor Nutter announces the formation of city's first Mental Health Court
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Today, Mayor Michael Nutter, along with D.A. Lynne Abraham, announced the creation of Philly's brand-new Mental Health Court. Essentially, its function is to "provide alternative supervision to eligible offenders who require specialized mental health treatment with court oversight." From the press release:
Instead [of] many different judges supervising these cases, one designated judge will hear all matters pertaining to the targeted population, thereby streamlining dockets and bringing all mental health cases into one courtroom. Participants in the Mental Health Court must follow the rules and regulations of the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department and the conditions of an individualized treatment plan. All participants will be required to appear before the designated judge who will monitor their compliance and adherence to all rules and conditions.
While this is a first in Philly, it's not in Pennsylvania — 11 other counties have mental health courts. But, as the press release says, Philly's "will represent the first in the state to provide for participants’ reintegration back into the community." Which all sounds pretty good, no? Shouldn't people with mental health issues get treated differently? Though there isn't much news on the topic (except from Philebrity, strangely, which also noted the the lack of media coverage), there's a good article in the U.S. News & World Report on a mental health court in Pittsburgh, which sheds some light on exactly what differentiates it from other courts. Here's a snippet:
A soft touch is hardly standard for judges. But this is the Allegheny County Mental Health Court, an alternative to traditional criminal court, and it is precisely that sort of approach that has helped keep more and more mentally ill offenders out of jail. "Some people say, 'Is warm and fuzzy appropriate for the criminal justice system?'" says Zottola, a former county prosecutor. "But it really works."
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