Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan is recommending to the recently revived Public Safety Coordinating Council that the County fund the implementation of a mental health court via the county allocation of $834,000 from the Recovery Act: Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Local Solicitation Grant.
The IN wrote about the treatment of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system (How Do You Mend A Broken Mind?).
Morgan sees as some of the goals of this court:
-To create a courtroom with a high degree of sensitivity to the specialized needs of the mentally ill.
-To expedite the mentally ill defendant through the criminal justice system without compromise.
-To assure the the mentally ill defendant doesn’t languish in jail because of their illness and can get emergency psychiatric care if needed.
-To balance defendant’s rights, treatment considerations and public safety.
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program allows states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and to improve the criminal justice system. The County has received the funds directly the Department of Justice and also has gotten an allocation from the state. The County Commission, upon the request of County Administrator Bob McLaughlin, has directed the Public Safety Coordinating Council to determine how the grants should be used.
The council has been dormant for over a year. In fact, county staff has had a problem finding the official minutes of the last meeting.
The Public Safety Committee meets Tuesday, April 14 – 9 a.m. in the BOCC Meeting Room.