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January 17, 2009
Harris County, TX, judges vote to designate full-time felony mental-health court
The Houston Chronicle (1/8, O'Hare, Leahy) reports that on Jan. 7, Harris County, TX, "criminal district judges voted...to designate a full-time felony mental-health court, which will likely focus on defendants diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression."
Presiding over the court will be State District Judge Jan Krocker. According to Judge Krocker, approximately "30 percent of the defendants who come through Harris County's criminal courts have a mental illness."
The judge "plans for mentally ill defendants to be assigned to her court immediately after they are charged with a criminal offense if they have previously been diagnosed with a mental illness in the criminal justice system through the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County." In addition, she "proposed that mentally ill defendants could be transferred to her court from another felony court if the judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney involved in the case agree."
Related Links:
- "Harris County judges vote for felony mental health court," Peggy O'Hare and Jennifer Leahy, Houston Chronicle, January 8, 2008.
Posted by admin at January 17, 2009 12:27 PM