Court mandates psychiatric treatment, special services for mentally ill offenders
Low-cost program yields results At the Chittenden County Mental Health Court, clients bypass district court and possibly jail time. They receive social services instead, and in exchange for successfully completing their court programs, which may include sanctions, their criminal records are expunged. More than 100 offenders have filtered through the mental health court and compared [...]
How the Chittenden court works
Offenders with mental illnesses are referred to the court by lawyers, judges, police officers, treatment providers and family members when their criminal behavior is driven by mental illness. They may also self-refer. A clinician assesses offenders for a qualifying mental illness or other serious functional impairment that has led to the commission of the crime, [...]
