Judicial Services Report 2016, 225th Anniversary Edition

In turn, if the participant maintains purposeful and positive participation in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Adult Drug Court, the participant may receive appropriate incentives as well. These incentives will be determined by the Adult Drug Court Team and specific rewards will depend on available resources. Historically, this has included donated gift cards from area businesses as well as Drug Court-purchased gift cards made possible through donations. Adult Mental Health Court Lancaster County Adult Mental Health Court is a specialty court program for criminal offenders diagnosed with a seri- ous mental illness. Offenders can be referred to the program by police officers, Magisterial District Judges, attorneys, pro- bation officers, case managers, prison staff, judges, family members, and other agencies or individuals who come into contact with an offender who might qualify for the program. Referral applications are reviewed by the Mental Health Court Coordinator to determine if the offender meets the pro- gram’s initial eligibility criteria. If the offender does meet initial eligibility criteria, the application is forwarded to the Lan- caster County MH/MR office, who will determine if the offender is eligible and appropriate for case management services under their guidelines. Upon approval from MH/MR, the application is forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office, who will determine if the offender and the underlying charges are appropriate for the program based on such factors as the offend- er’s criminal history, the circumstances of the crime involved, and input from the crime victim and prosecuting officer. The Mental Health Court Treatment Team evaluates the suitability of each referral. An offender is either accepted into Mental Health Court, referred to Special Offenders Services, or referred back to the standard criminal justice system.

Participation in Mental Health Court is voluntary. Informed consent will be obtained for evaluation and consideration by the Court Team. The Lancaster County Mental Health Court is a program which has two possible tracks:

1. pretrial diversion, or 2. post-sentence.

For participants whose cases are diversion, sentencing will be deferred pending completion of the Mental Health Court program. Upon successful completion of the Mental Health Court program, including payments of fines, costs, and restitution, the participant’s charges may be reduced, dismissed, or the District Attorney’s Office will seek to expunge the pertinent charges as previously agreed, subject to court approval. For participants who are post-sentence, successful completion of Mental Health Court may result in the reduction or termination of any remaining supervision; however, these records cannot be expunged. An offender accepted into Mental Health Court is provided with a mental health case manager through the Lancaster County Office of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and a specialized mental health probation officer through Lancaster County Adult Probation and Parole Services. Working together, this team of individuals assists the offender un- der Mental Health Court supervision by assessing service needs and availability and monitoring offender compliance with services and participation in treatment/supervision plans.