The Washington County Psychiatary Court to start next week

Fayetteeville – After more than a year in the planning phase, the mental health court in Washington County will hold its first session next week.

The district judge Terra Stephenson, who will monitor the program of the psychological health court for the district, said that the first court meeting was on March 6th at 1 p.m. in the courtroom in the historic County Courthouse in 4 S. College Ave. in Fayetteeville. Stephenson said her schedule was to have meetings of the court for mental health every Thursday at 1 p.m. and the procedure will be open to the public.

“We welcome people to see what we are doing,” said Stephenson on Tuesday.

Stephenson and district judge Patrick Deakins announced the official opening of the program at a press conference on Tuesday. In 2023, the district received a grant of 550,000 US dollars from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance as part of the Justice and Mental Health.

The money should help with the planning and implementation of the programs for mental health over a period of three years. The grant in Washington County will finance the program through the planning phase that has just been completed and now in the first two years of the operations, said Stephenson. The first pilot program will be carried out for 14 months and could process up to 20 participants, she added.

According to Stephenson, the program of the Mental Health Court is voluntary and open to people who have guilty due to non -violent crimes and crimes that do not include registration as sex offenders. Applicants must be approved by the public prosecutor and undergo a demonstration in order to determine their justification for the program. As soon as the participants have been approved in the program, they are subject to a required schedule for court appearances and compliance with a program, medical treatment, advice and the connection of the participants with services in order to support them in living space, employment and other problems. The non -compliance with the requirements can lead to sanctions to discharge from the program and a return to your earlier status. The end of the program can lead to the discharge of outstanding criminal charges.

Judge Thomas Smith heads Benton County's special courts and has run the psychiatric court in the county since October. He said the number of participants had reached about 10 and the program runs as expected.

“I think the people in the psychiatric court are doing quite well,” said Smith. “It is important to have a feeling of accountability with you to see that you take your medication that can be treated.”

Deakins said the system. The goal of the court program for mental health is to reduce overcrowding and relapse by providing people with the help of people who do not receive them in a typical prison or prison environment.

“There is a better way to do this,” said Deakins.

Judge Cristi Beaumont supervises the drug dish and the veteran court for the counties Washington and Madison. Beaumont said that the participants in these dishes and the people they would expect should be seen in a court program for mental health. The programs have to coordinate to see that people are best directed for their needs, added them.

The drug judge has been working in Washington County since 1999 and in Madison County since 2018, said Beaumont. Since she took over the program in 2013, she has followed the status of her participants, and 77% of those who successfully completed the program have never been charged because of further crimes.