One woman smashed a store window and another broke into a neighbor's home.
The felony cases are not necessarily unique, but the way they’re being handled is different. Both have been assigned to Kent County’s newly-minted mental health court.
“Our first two participants came straight out of the jail, where, of course, they are costing the citizens of the county,’’ said Kent County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Rossi. “And for less money, we can provide better treatment for them in the community.’’
To avoid jail, the two women must meet with mental health professionals and take any prescribed medications. Missteps could put them back behind bars.
“The court kind of serves as the heavy in this case and threatens them with a sanction if they don’t comply with the terms of the program,’’ Rossi said. “Most of them understand what jail is and that they don’t want to be there.’’
About four dozen defendants will be assigned to the mental health court docket at any given time. It targets people charged with non-violent offenses who have had numerous contacts with the criminal justice system.
“Just like any program where you’re in treatment, there has to be some buy-in on the part of the individual,’’ Rossi said. “They have to be willing to participate and willing to make a change in their life.’’
Mental health court, launched in January, targets defendants who need treatment, not incarceration, Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said.
“We’re really excited about the potential for seeing what we can do for mental health patients,’’ Becker said. “It’s a program to keep them out of the jails or prison for their offenses and get them into treatment.’’
The Kent County Board of Commissioners last year accepted a $193,000 grant to help fund the program, which has been in the works for about a year.
Michigan lawmakers in 2013 created the state’s mental health court statute allowing a way to accommodate mentally-ill defendants in a non-traditional way.
Nearly three dozen mental health courts are up and running statewide. The Kent County program is a collaborative effort involving several agencies, including Network 180, Kent County Circuit Court, the Kent County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Rossi, who will be overseeing the mental health docket, said he visited similar programs in Genesee and Kalamazoo counties and was impressed with what he saw. One of the highlights was a reduction in the number of repeat offenders, he said.
That is also the goal in Kent County, Rossi said.
“Part of it is when you get on a treatment plan, we’re decreasing the chance that they’ll offend again and wind up in jail,’’ Rossi said. “We’re trying to break that cycle.’’
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