Making mental health a priority

County celebrates success of mental health, collaborative court programs

Yolo County is celebrating the success and remarkable achievements of the Mental Health Diversion, Mental Health Court and Addiction Intervention Court programs.

These initiatives, designed to address the needs of community members in the criminal justice system grappling with mental health or substance use disorders, have resulted in reductions in arrests, jail bed stays, local hospital bed stays and Department of State Hospitals bed days.

Those who have successfully completed one of these programs have attributed their personal growth, improved well-being and the restoration of their relationships to these interventions, according to a press release from the county.

For over a decade, multiple Yolo County partners, including Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven, have dedicated their efforts to individuals whose serious mental health or substance use disorders contributed to their commission of criminal offenses. With a focus on reducing future involvement with the criminal justice system and improving personal and community health outcomes, Raven, who recently announced his retirement from Yolo County, remains committed to advocating for similar programs statewide.

“As he retires from service in Yolo County, Jonathan Raven's fingerprints will be left on every modern mental health diversion and collaborative court program currently in use in the local criminal justice system,” said Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig. “His passion and commitment to this important work has been invaluable.”

The Mental Health Diversion program was launched after the district attorney and public defender's offices discovered a gap in resources for those suffering

from less serious mental illnesses, prompting them to draft a proposal and submit a request for funding to the Yolo County Community Corrections Partnership.

“We have Addiction Intervention Court and we have Mental Health Court, but we felt there was an underserved population that didn't quite fit into those courts,” explained Raven previously. “It was Tracie Olson, who is our public defender, and I who got together and we tried to figure out how we could create a program for a different segment of individuals who are having some mental health issues or substance use disorders or both where we could try to use the court system to decriminalize and try to help people get well and keep them out of the system.”

The request was granted and the program was officially launched in January 2022.

The program is a collaborative effort involving the District Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, Probation Department, Sheriff's Office, the Yolo County Superior Court and CommuniCare+OLE.

Operating on a minimum 1-year court-based treatment

and monitoring system, the program provides individualized treatment plans focusing on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The Mental Health Diversion program, which is currently at capacity with plans to expand, has already supported 38 individuals with their treatment needs.

The program celebrated its first two graduates in March of this year. Thirteen individuals have since successfully completed outpatient substance use disorder treatment and an additional four have completed residential treatment.

“Jonathan Raven's influence in these collaborative programs will be missed,” stated Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson. “The success of MH-Div, MHC and AIC is a testament to the human capacity to rehabilitate and these programs would not exist without his vision and support.”

Mental Health Court (MHC) and Addiction Intervention Court (AIC) are specialized 18-month collaborative court programs for adults whose commission of an offense was the result of their mental health or substance use disorder. Developed by the Court, Public Defender's Office, District Attorney's Office, Probation Department and Health and Human Services

Agency, MHC provides intensive mental health services, and AIC addresses substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.

The programs' overarching goals are to address the criminogenic factors and reduce recidivism. Both programs have led to decreases in arrests and jail bed days.

“I think collaborative courts are one of the most effective and profound examples of how different agencies and departments working together can really wrap around and provide the support that individuals need to recover, whether that's from substance abuse issues or to move toward wellness and address mental health challenges and get their lives back on track,” Karleen Jakowski, assistant director of Health and Human Services Agency, said at a previous collaborative court graduation.

Established in 2013, MHC was created to address the increasing number of mentally ill defendants cycling through the courts and jails. It follows the Forensic Assertive Community Treatment model, where participants get individualized weekly intensive services. The team provides participants with wrap-around treatment, which includes a focus on

mental health, substance abuse, housing, vocational training and education and overall wellness.

“Instead of casting out and discarding those who suffer from mental and emotional issues, Mental Health Courts insert hope and support into the very lives of people who the traditional justice system says are hopeless,” explained Judge Peter Williams during a previous MHC graduation. “Members receive the right mix of treatment and accountability needed to change their lives.”

AIC was established in 2018 as a proactive response to substance use disorder among the community, and it guides participants through four phases emphasizing rewards and a restorative justice component in the last phase, where participants spend four to six weeks recounting their crime and its circumstances, acknowledging harm caused and working towards healing. Graduation criteria ensure sustained progress, requiring participants to engage for a minimum of 18 months, maintain sobriety, secure employment and participate in restorative justice processes.

For more information about the MH-Div, MHC and AIC programs, please visit www.YoloCounty.org/ CCP and www.YoloDA.org.