Yolo County Mental Health Court has first in-person graduation in 15 months
Alejandro Zambrano was not the ideal candidate for Yolo County’s Mental Health Court. In fact, he had been rejected from both Yolo County’s Health and Human Services agency and probation department.
But, after a hard fight from the District Attorney and the Public Defender, and about two and a half years in the program, Zambrano graduated from Mental Health Court on Thursday.
“Good to see you in three dimensions,” Judge Peter Williams told Zambrano — who is the first person to graduate the program inperson since the COVID-19 pandemic moved most court proceedings online nearly 15 months ago. Graduations were held virtually prior to Thursday.
“The one thing that I found most notable is that you bought into the program,” Williams said. “People are telling you to do stuff and nobody wants to be told to do stuff, but you did it.”
Zambrano described his early life as being raised in a “chaotic, dysfunctional alcoholic family.” He was discharged from the military after attempting suicide twice. He’s been diagnosed with both post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder. He became addicted to crystal meth and was homeless.
“To make a long story short, they weren’t even going to have me in the program, because of whatever I did,” he said. “They were like, ‘nope, we’re against it. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.’ And somehow, as you can see, I was accepted. And it’s been a weird journey, but in a good way.”
Nearly a dozen people spoke at Zambrano’s graduation, and even more were in attendance — including multiple current participants in the program.
“Just like you, I was shot down by probation, and just like you, I have a history,” one participant of the program told Zambrano. “And your success gives me hope.”
Mental Health Court is a collaborative program between Probation, Health and Human Services, the court, the District Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender. It only accepts those with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder. In order to be accepted into the program, the mental illness must be the primary reason the person committed a crime.
All departments have to approve cases that are referred to Mental Health Court, and all of them can veto a referral.
Mental Health Court participants are part of the program for a minimum of 18 months. Most people, like Zambrano, take longer.
While in the program, Zambrano was able to get his driver’s license and his Veteran’s Affairs Benefits. He also published a book of his poetry, titled “Healing Through Poetry.” He’s taking a screenwriting class right now, and plans to major in social justice and human rights at Arizona State University, and is in the process of buying a house in Arizona.
He said that he wants to have his own film production company where he can write and direct his own stuff. In his “downtime,” he said he wants to be able to help those experiencing homelessness.
“I just have a lot of things going on, just taking things one step at a time, one day at a time,” he said. “But at the same (time) being realistic, setting goals, so I don’t fall short. I’m just doing well. I’m just happy. I can’t believe I actually made it this far.”
His transformation over the years was an obvious point of celebration. Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven showed him, and the rest of the courthouse Zambrano’s mugshot from his arrest during the graduation. The person in the mugshot was nearly unrecognizable to the person who sat at the witness stand. When Zambrano saw the photo, the first words out of his mouth were “oh my God.”
Zambrano noted one of the highlights of recovery for him — an ability to deal with negative feelings without going to suicidal ideation. He said that he felt like he would be a “suicidal junkie” for the rest of his life.
“My life has changed tremendously. I just feel like I’m floating on cloud nine, but I call it more like a reality cloud, because everybody goes through that, and what I’m starting to realize is, I don’t call them a mental illness, I call them more of a mental challenge, because that’s what it is. It’s a challenge,” he said. “I feel like a normal person again.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 24-hour Yolo County Crisis Line at (888) 233-0228.