Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Bucks County expects to launch a mental health court later this year, according to District Attorney Matt Weintraub.
Weintraub, who has supported creation of a mental health court, said it will address the unique situations of defendants living with serious mental illness.
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Bucks County is the only Pennsylvania county in the Philadelphia region to not have a mental health court. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania said there are 20 counties in the state that have their own mental health courts.
Last year, two high-profile mental health cases put pressure on the county to create a mental health court.
In June 2020, a report titled “Improving Criminal Justice Outcomes through Mental Health Court Development” was developed and prepared by researchers with the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law in Philadelphia.
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The report featured the following executive summary:
In sum, through the creation of a mental health court, Bucks County can improve both clinical and criminal justice outcomes for people living with mental illness. A mental health court would operate as a form of judicially supervised probation, diverting defendants from incarceration to the community, where they can access both treatment and social supports. As the report describes, mental health courts contribute to reductions in time offenders with mental illness spend in jail, improve public safety by reducing rates of re-offending, and lead to improvements in quality of life among participants. Furthermore, a mental health court would draw from existing resources in Bucks County to provide it with a new set of tools to tackle the challenges posed by people with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
A mental health court to “assist people with serious psychiatric disorders” and “people with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders” is recommended by the report. The document suggested multiple agencies function as referral sources for the court and that prosecutors and public defenders screen referrals.
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The mental health court, according to the report, would best be served by using a judge, public defender, jail representative, prosecutor, and human services representative. It should offer treatment services, counseling, and community support for those in the program.
Weintraub released a letter this week that he penned and delivered to Bucks County President Judge Wallace Bateman on the topic:
Dear President Judge Bateman:
Beginning in 2019, my office and University of Pennsylvania’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice began to collaborate on how to solve mental health issues in Bucks County’s criminal justice system. At my request, the Quattrone Center prepared a report offering analysis and solutions on this topic. This report highlights both the need for, and benefits of, offering alternative criminal justice outcomes for criminal defendants suffering from serious mental illness. Per our recent discussion, I am attaching a copy of this June 2020 report Improving Criminal Justice Outcomes through Mental Health Court Development for your consideration. I’ve already provided a copy of this report to some of the other stakeholders who have an interest in a mental health court here in Bucks County.
As you know, our office and the court system already successfully identify many of those defendants suffering from mental illness and seek ways to address their specific needs through currently-existing programs, such as early intervention mobile engagement, Crisis Intervention Training for police, the Veterans Program and Drug Court, when appropriate. However, as the attached report makes clear, mental health courts offer an opportunity to address the unique problems presented by defendants with serious mental illness in a more targeted, comprehensive, and effective way.
I know that the judiciary and the Commissioners are already actively working on implementing such a mental health court here in Bucks County. As a major county stakeholder, my office fully supports this undertaking and I believe that this report will provide some useful insights to inform that process. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office remains available to participate and assist in whatever way we can to help move this project forward.
Respectfully Submitted,
Matthew D. Weintraub
Bucks County District Attorney
“The Court looks forward to working collaboratively with the Commissioners to develop the resources needed to implement a successful Mental Health Court,” Bucks County Court Administrator Stephen Heckman said last year.
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Bucks County Commissioners Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia said at a recent meeting that efforts to open a county-run treatment center to compliment the mental health court were in the works.
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