A Mental Health Court is a specialty court that

provides intensive supervision and coordination of

services to individuals with a history of mental health

problems who have pled guilty to a non-violent felony

offense.

30TH

CIRCUIT

MENTAL

HEALTH COURT

The Mental Health Court Team

30th

Circuit Court

The Honorable James S. Jamo, Judge

Coordinator Kristina Zwick

Ingham County Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth

Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office

Prosecutor Carol Siemon

Clinton Eaton Ingham Community Mental Health

Community Corrections

Michigan Department of Corrections

Ingham County Bar Association

P.O . Box 40771 Lansing, MI 48901-7971

517.483-6430 Office • 517.483.6535 Facsimile

www.ingham.org

“Things do not change; we change.”

-Henry David Thoreau

The 30th

Circuit Mental Health Court will

provide intense supervision and treatment

coordination to individuals with a mental

illness who have pled guilty to a non-violent

felony offense. Supervision and treatment

coordination will be conducted by an

interdisciplinary team including representatives

from the court, Community Mental Health, and

probation.

Goals Stakeholder agencies will work together

to provide a person-centered response that

may include assessment, eligibility

determination, jail diversion, case

management, peer support, substance

abuse treatment, psychiatric services and

other ancillary services with the goal of

reducing recidivism and encouraging

recovery from mental health and

substance abuse problems.

Mission Statement To improve community safety and

implementation of mental health services

by providing a coordinated response to

individuals charged with non-violent

felony offenses in Ingham County.

For More Information or To Make A Referral

Contact Coordinator Kristina Zwick

at

phone 517-483-6430

fax 517-483-6535

email kzwick@ingham.org

Confidentiality

Program participants are afforded privacy rights

regarding substance abuse and mental health

treatment by state and federal law. The 30th

Circuit Mental Health Court will zealously

protect participants’ rights by implementing and

following policies and procedures to ensure that

team members have access to the information

necessary for treatment purposes while guarding

against unnecessary dissemination. Participants

and team members will be frequently reminded

of the importance of maintaining the

confidentiality of participants’ protected health

information.

The Mental Health Court program is based on

the idea that recovery is possible through

providing interventions appropriate to

individual circumstances. Participants are

empowered to achieve medical independence

by defining what recovery means personally,

and by developing an awareness of what

services and supports are effective.

Phase 1 - assessment, establishment of a person

centered treatment plan, address housing,

medical issues, self-care, transportation, start to

consider employment or educational goals

Phase 2 - compliance with treatment and

probation plans demonstrated by making

appointments, communicating with court staff,

attendance in court, development of personal

wellness plan

Phase 3 - continued compliance with probation,

treatment and personal plans, sobriety from

drugs and alcohol, development of psychiatric

advance directive, demonstration of significant

progress toward vocational or educational goal,

maintenance of housing

Participants will be eligible for graduation after

90 days in Phase 3.

Prospective participants must meet legal and

clinical eligibility criteria. The felony offense

must be non-violent, and the individual cannot

have ever been convicted of any offense causing

death or great bodily harm, or criminal sexual

conduct in any degree. Clinical eligibility requires

that the individual either has been or can

reasonably be expected to be diagnosed with a

major psychiatric disorder like schizophrenia,

major depression or bipolar disorder.

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that

human beings can alter their lives by

altering their attitudes of mind."

- William James (1842-1910)

This program is funded by a grant from the State Court Administrative Office

There are currently 29 active

Mental Health Courts in Michigan

P.O . Box 40771 Lansing, MI 48901-7971

517.483-6430 Office • 517.483.6535 Facsimile

www.ingham.org

THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT PROGRAM IS

BASED ON STAGES OF CHANGE

Eligibility Criteria

The Mental Health Court team meets once a week

to share information regarding the progress of

each participant. The team will consider person-

centered responses to encourage compliance with

treatment plan and probation requirements.

The hearing will follow the treatment team

meeting. Participants attend the hearings as a

group so they may benefit individually by

observing the court’s adherence to fair and

consistent use of incentives and sanctions in

response to each participant’s performance in the

program.

Team Meetings and Hearings

Anybody with concerns about the mental health

status of an individual facing felony charges can

make a referral to the Mental Health Court

including defense attorneys, sheriff deputies,

prosecuting attorneys, judges, family members

and concerned citizens by calling 517-483-6430.

Upon receipt of the referral, the Mental Health

Court Coordinator will obtain the participant’s

consent on a release of information form to gather

relevant clinical information in making a

preliminary eligibility determination. If

appropriate, the individual will be assessed. The

team will consider the assessment, criminal and

clinical histories, and the prospective defendant’s

competency to agree to participate in the program

in making a determination of whether or not to

accept the individual for the program. If the

individual agrees to participate, and the team

agrees to accept, then a plea agreement will be

negotiated with the prosecuting attorney.

Referral and Screening