Dona Ana County launches program to connect arrested individuals with mental health care
A new program launched Friday that will help people who are arrested in Doña Ana County get connected to mental health services. A new program has been launched in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, to connect arrested individuals with mental health services. The court-based initiative aims to guide individuals with appropriate treatment and away from the criminal justice system when they are arrested for misdemeanor offenses. The pilot program will last a year and includes “forensic navigators” who will assist participants in the community to obtain behavioral health treatment and other services. If an individual is deemed incompetent during their evaluation, they can access several services provided by La Clinica De Familia. Successful completion of the voluntary program will result in the dismissal of their criminal charges.
Опубликовано : 10 месяцев назад от https://www.facebook.com/cbs4local, Ariana Parra в Health
A new program launched Friday that will help people who are arrested in Doña Ana County get connected to mental health services.
The new court-based initiative will help guide people with mental illness to appropriate treatment and away from the criminal justice system when they are arrested for misdemeanor offenses in Doña Ana County.
It's something a New Mexico Supreme Court Justice told CBS4 could help reduce the number of repeat offenders.
"We're going to treat mental health the same way we treat physical health," NM Supreme Court Justice Brianna Zamora said.
Zamora is one of the people responsible for bringing the new approach to the courts in Doña Ana County.
"If they're found incompetent, their case is generally dismissed -- especially if it's a misdemeanor, it will always be dismissed. And they're never connected to services, and we see them a few weeks later," Zamora said
However, starting Friday, Zamora said that if an individual is deemed incompetent during their evaluation, they can access several services provided by La Clinica De Familia as long as they agree to it.
"And that's not just counseling, medication, and treatment. That's housing, food security. All of the basic needs that people have in this population," Zamora said.
The pilot initiative provides an early diversion to treatment.
People will be screened when booked into a jail to determine their eligibility for the diversion project.
Individuals will be referred to the voluntary program for three to six months if approved by prosecutors, the person’s defense attorney and the magistrate court.
Anyone charged with a misdemeanor DWI is ineligible.
It will also include collaborative care.
The court will have “forensic navigators” who work in the community to help participants obtain behavioral health treatment and other services.
Participants voluntarily consent to treatment and other assistance, and successful completion will result in the dismissal of their criminal charges.
Cases proceed as normal for participants who fail to remain engaged with available services.
Las Cruces Chief of Police, Jeremy Story, chimed in on the need for this program.
"Our officers see the same people every day. The judges see the same people every day or every week or every month," Story said. "This program, I think, is a huge step in the right direction."
People living in Las Cruces told CBS4 they are looking forward to seeing how the program works towards making the city safer.
“There's a need for mental health assistance at all levels of society and definitely when it comes to criminal behavior, you know, there's a lot of it is caused by that mental distress,” John Anderson said.
"I think that this would help our community on both sides. There would be less turnover with people continuing to be in court and it would also help those very people who are continuing to get arrested who may have mental issues," Emily, a woman living in Las Cruces said.
"It's something that's probably been overdue that we could have used a lot sooner," Maria Villegas told CBS4.
The pilot program will last one full year with an evaluation halfway through, according to Justice Zamora.
Zamora told CBS4 the end goal is to get this program implemented permanently throughout the entire state of New Mexico.
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Темы: Social Issues, Social-ESG