Behavioral Health Court now open to all of Alameda County

As reported in an Oakland Tribune article.

Alameda County's Behavioral Health Court (BHC) is now open to persons from all of Alameda County courts. They are currently reviewing cases from Fremont, Hayward, Pleasanton, etc. in addition to North County cases.

Persons must have a serious mental illness and repeated incarceration. They must be in custody or have charges pending. They must be referred and accepted by the court’s Public Defender and District Attorney.   The Publc Defender/s representing the clients in the original courts must explain the BHC to their clients and determine if the client understands and wants to participate in the BHC before making the referral.

Participation in the court is voluntary. The  court offers a supportive court environment as well as intensive ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) level community services either through the dedicated TRACT (Transitional ACT) team or other ACT teams.

According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, "Mental health courts are a recent phenomenon and require collaboration and consideration from practitioners in both the criminal justice and mental health fields. Mental health courts typically involve judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other court personnel who have expressed an interest in or possess particular mental health expertise. The courts generally deal with nonviolent offenders who have been diagnosed with a mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The goal is to decrease the frequency of clients' contacts with the criminal justice system by providing courts with resources to improve clients' social functioning and link them to employment, housing, treatment, and support services.