Mental Health Court Program
The Mental Health Court Program is a voluntary alternative
to the traditional court system. A defendant may be referred by his
or her attorney, but final acceptance is determined by the State Attorney's
Office. The defendant must have a qualifying diagnosis,
must have some correlation between the offense and the diagnosis and
agree voluntary to enter the program and participate in mental health treatment.
Once accepted, the defendant and mental health professionals develop
an intervention plan that must be approved by the court. Assistance and
treatment is coordinated throughout the plan and progress toward goals is
monitored closely. A defendant must attend regular court appearances and must
meet conditions of probation when applicable.
Link to Lee County Mental Health Court Program and Forms
Link to Charlotte County Mental Health Court Program and Forms
Link to Collier County Mental Health Court Program and Forms
Lee County Mental Health Court Program
The Lee County Mental Health Court Program was developed as an effort to identify and address the unique needs of people living with a mental illness who have entered into the criminal justice system. The intent is to improve public safety by helping these individuals continue to be productive, responsible members of the community.
The Lee County Mental Health Court Program is a voluntary alternative to the traditional court system. A defendant may be referred by his or her attorney, but final acceptance is determined by the State Attorney's Office. The defendant must have a qualifying diagnosis, there must be some correlation between the offense and the diagnosis, and they must agree to voluntarily enter the program and participate in mental health treatment. Once accepted, the defendant and mental health professionals develop an intervention plan that must be approved by the court. Assistance and treatment is coordinated throughout the plan and progress toward goals is monitored closely. A defendant must attend regular court appearances and must meet conditions of probation when applicable.
The Honorable H. Andrew Swett presides over the Lee County Mental Health Court Program. Court is typically held on Wednesday at 2:30 pm in Courtroom 2B on the 2nd floor of the Lee County Justice Center located at 1700 Monroe Street, Fort Myers Florida 33901.
Successful graduation results in either dismissal of the case, closure or further monitoring and supervision.
For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact Lee County Probation at (239) 533-9199. A referral form (download above) may also be submitted to the following:
Administrative Office of the Courts
Lee County Probation
1700 Monroe Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Collier County Mental Health Court Program
The Collier County Mental Health Court Program was developed in October 2007 as an effort to indentify and address the unique needs of individuals living with a mental illness who have entered into the criminal justice system. The intent is to improve public safety by helping these individuals continue to be productive and responsible members of the community.
The Collier County Mental Health Court Program is an alternative to the traditional court system. An individual may be self referred, by his or her attorney, a family member, law enforcement officer, court personnel, or mental health professional. The individual must have a qualifying Axis One diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), some correlation between the offense and the diagnosis, and agree to voluntarily enter the program. However, final acceptance is determined by the State Attorney?s Office. Once accepted, the defendant and mental health professionals develop an individual mental health treatment plan for the defendant to participate in and approved by the court. Assistance and treatment is coordinated throughout the plan and progress is monitored closely. The defendant must attend regular court appearances and must meet conditions of probation when applicable.
For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact Charles R. Crews of the Collier County Probation Department at (239) 252-8702.
Charlotte County Mental Health Court Program
The Charlotte County Mental Health Court Program was developed in an effort to help the mentally ill or dually diagnosed defendant through the Criminal Justice system by balancing the needs of both the defendant and the community. The Charlotte County Mental Health Court Program offers treatment alternatives in place of traditional court and jail time.
If you have been arrested and you have a serious mental illness or co-occurring (mental illness and substance abuse) disorder, you may have an opportunity to participate in the Mental Health Court Program in Charlotte County. It is a collaborative effort between the State Attorney, Defense Counsel, Judicial System, Criminal System and Charlotte Behavioral Care(CBHC).
The program is designed to identify and address the unique needs of the mentally ill criminal offender. Mental Health Court represents an effort to increase effective cooperation between the criminal justice system and the mental health system. Positive results are seen with faster processing time, improved access to mental health treatment services and reducting recidivism.
This is a voluntary program which includes regular court appearances before a designated Mental Health Court Judge, along with mental health treatment in accordance to an individualized Intervention Plan developed for you by mental health court professionals.
Mentally ill offenders are connected with treatment services, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Mental Health Court Team is composed of the following:
- Judge
- Mental Health Court Program Manager
- CBHC Treatment Team
- Defense Counsel
- State Attorney
- Department of Corrections
- County Probation Officer
The Mental Health Court Program Goals are:
- Create effective interventions between the Criminal Justice and Mental Health systems.
- Ensure legal advocacy for the mentally ill defendant.
- Ensure that mentally ill defendents do not languish in jail because of mental illness.
- Balance the rights of the defendant and the public safety by recommending the least restrictive, most appropriate and most workable disposition.
- Divert mentally ill defendants with minor criminal charges to community based mental health services.
- Monitor the delivery and receipt of mental health services and treatment.
- Reduce the contact of the mentally ill defendant with the criminal justice system by creating a bridge between them.
- Solicit participation from consumers and family members in court decisions.
For more information about this program and/or to make a referral, please contact Charlotte County Pretrial Services at (941) 637-2297. A referral form (download above) may also be submitted to the following:
Charlotte County Pretrial Services
Specialty Court Coordinator
Gerald Gray
Phone: (941) 637-2297