F R O M T H E T H I R T E E N T H J U D I C I A L C I R C U I T C H I E F J U D G E J u d g e R o n a l d F i c a r r o t t a- C h i e f J u d g e f o r t h e T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t
addressing mental Health at Court
instead of“ defendants,” they have became known as“ clients,” which is often the vernacular in problem Solving Courts.
There was a time, not so long ago, that mental health did not get the court’ s full attention. Yes, it was discussed somewhat frequently in criminal courtrooms, where competency was questioned and medically evaluated. It also had a place in guardianship matters, where those deemed unable to care for themselves found relief in the supervised care of the court. But now, in the Thirteenth Circuit, our Mental Health Division goes beyond the aforementioned matters.
In January 2017, we launched the Mental Health Court( MHC), where I preside over cases in the Enhanced Offender Diversion Initiative( EODI). Hillsborough County received a grant, in partnership with the court, to provide recovery-oriented services and intensive case management for individuals with severe mental illness. ACTS was selected as the service provider to enhance the Mental Health Pretrial Initiative with a continuum of diversion alternatives.
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