Treatment in the justice system

Have you ever heard of specialized dockets or treatment courts? Maybe you have heard the term "drug court"? These terms have floated around a bit more frequently in recent years, and it is no surprise why. According to the The Stepping Up Initiative (2015-2022), "approximately 2 million times each year, people who have serious mental illness are admitted to jails across the nation. Almost three-quarters of these adults also have drug and alcohol use problems." The Ottawa County Jail is no different. Focused on a way to help address this problem, Judge Bruce Winters created the Ottawa County Mental Health Court in June of 2016. The mission of the mental health court is to promote recovery and reduce recidivism through a court-supervised treatment program. In order to be eligible to participate in mental health court, a person needs to have a severe mental health diagnosis, be charged with or pleading to a felony offense, express a willingness to engage in treatment and volunteer to participate in the program. At no cost to Ottawa County, the mental health court is able to assist in reducing barriers to participant success from funding received through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Participants progress through Mental Health Court by completing each of the five phases with a minimum time commitment of 18 months total. Upon graduation, participants must have maintained mental health stability, managed triggers, have an established support network, have completed community service hours and displayed a change in their thinking and attitude. Since its inception, the mental health court has had 37 participants with 12 successful graduations thus far. While requirements for each participant in the program may vary, the end goal remains the same — learning to live a happy and stable life without the use of alcohol and illegal substances. Many times, participants express their gratitude for court involvement because they were able to get the help they have needed for so long but couldn't, or wouldn't, navigate through treatment and the recovery community themselves. Judge Bruce Winters said that "mental health issues are the driving forces behind many drug, alcohol, and violence issues. Helping people with mental health issues helps us all." Judge Winters also created the Ottawa County Drug Court and Ottawa County Veterans' Court to address community issues. For more information about Ottawa County's Mental Health Court, you may contact Jaimee Prieur at 419-635-5023 or by email at jprieur@co.ottawa.oh.us. For more information about The Stepping Up Initiative, please visit stepuptogether.org/ Jaimee PrieurMental Health Court program coordinatorOttawa County Court of Common Pleas If you want to submit a Local Voices column, please email it to brandonaddeo@tandemnetwork.com. Columns should be 500-750 words and include the writer's headshot, or other photo.