For a growing number of people in Schuylkill County who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, the traditional criminal justice system may not be the right way to deal with their problems.
They are problems jail or any amount of time behind bars can solve, County law enforcement officials say.
To counter the traditional lock-them-up and fine them approach, Schuylkill County officially launched its Wellness Court last week.
“We all know that we have people in the criminal justice system who just shouldn’t be involved in the system because they have mental illness or they’ve been involved in the military and have problems related to the military,” Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline Russell says.
A ceremony was held inside Courtroom 1 at Schuylkill County Courthouse to officially introduce Wellness Court and explain how it’ll work.
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In addition to most judges from Schuylkill County Court of Common Pleas, the county’s District Court Magistrate Judges and numerous other County officials, the ceremony was attended by Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd.
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Russell says, “An awful lot of work has gone into this.”
During last week’s ceremony, Russell credited Schuylkill County officials like Elaine Gilbert, head of the Mental Health/Development Services department; Senior Judge D. Michael Stine; CJ Begansky, head of Adult Probation; and others for getting Wellness Court in action in Schuylkill County.
Wellness Court Target Population
Andreah White, who will serve as Wellness Court coordinator for Schuylkill County, outlined how the program works and who is and isn’t eligible. Schuylkill County’s Wellness Court will also have a Veterans track for military vets who commit non-violent crimes caused by their time in the service.
Wellness Court is designed for high-risk/high-need offenders with a serious mental health diagnosis or substance abuse disorders, White says. Wellness Court is supposed to promote rehabilitation and decrease recidivism. Having a Veterans track also provides specialized care for those participants.Â
To be eligible for Wellness Court, offenders must be at least 18 years old and a Schuylkill County resident. They can’t have violent past or current criminal charges and must be mentally competent to understand their requirements in the Wellness Court program.
Eligible people for Wellness Court must be diagnosed with a moderate or severe Axis I disorder in the last two years, a dual diagnosis of mental health and drug- or alcohol-related disorder, or be a veteran with a service-related mental disorder.
For military veterans, Wellness Court will provide “trauma-informed care”, PTSD treatment, and other service-related treatments. It also aims to connect veterans to specific community and Veterans Affairs resources.
Peer mentoring and case management will be provided by St. Luke’s Victory for Veterans.
Who Isn’t Eligible for Wellness Court?
Not everyone will be eligible for Schuylkill County Wellness Court, White says.
People accused of violent crimes and certain felonies will not have a Wellness Court option, though the District Attorney’s Office will have discretion in every case when determining who is eligible.
Homicide, DUI, and felony crimes of violence are excluded. Other crimes like involuntary manslaughter, arson, aggravated assault, burglary, sex offenses, escape, reckless endangerment, and flight to avoid apprehension are typically excluded.
People who’ve committed three or more felonies in the past or are facing them currently are also typically ineligible for Wellness Court, White says.
How Wellness Court Works
Wellness Court starts with referrals. They’ll come from police officers, judges, attorneys, probation officers, family members, and couselors, White says. Self-referrals are also accepted.
Applications for Wellness Court, screening of applicants, and eligibility assessments will be done by the District Attorney, Adult Probation, and Mental Health Services at the County level.
Final approval into Wellness Court is made by the County’s Wellness Court team and a judge.
Once an applicant is accepted to Wellness Court, they enter into a 20-month treatment program. They’re assigned a case manager and probation officer. They’re required to make regular court appearances and subject to supervision.
There are five phases – each lasting four months – to the Wellness Court program: Acute stabilization, Support, Recovery, Building, Transitioning. A voluntary six-month Aftercare phase is also available.
Participants will be required to attend meetings like National Alliance of Mental Illness, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other self-help groups. They must also adhere to personalized goal plans.
There is a mandatory $5 per week fee for all participants in lieu of a regular supervision fee.
Under each phase, participants will be required to make court appearances, are subject to drug testing, stay in contact with a probation officer and case manager, and are sometimes subject to electronic monitoring.
Those requirements lessen as a Wellness Court participant progresses through each phase.
Incentives and sanctions – including short-term jail sentences – are possible based on compliance or violations of the Wellness Court program.
People Who Shouldn’t Be in Jail
During the ceremony, Todd said, “The number of defendants with serious, untreated mental health illnesses in the criminal justice system has drastically increased in recent years.”
She said traditional courtrooms have not been successful in changing the outcomes for these defendants. Often, when they’re released, they’ll find themselves right back in front of a judge.
“Mental health courts and Wellness courts provide a team of court staff and mental health professionals that work together to screen and assess defendants, develop treatment plans and supervise offenders,” Todd added.
She acknowledged Russell, Court of Common Pleas Judge James Goodman, Stine, and Magisterial District Court Judge James Reiley for their willingness to serve on the Wellness Court judicial team in Schuylkill County.
“A lot of people in today’s society need help,” Reiley says. “And they find themselves in the criminal justice system as a result of other underlying issues.
“We have seen a lot of people go to jail who don’t belong in jail,” Reiley adds. “We have seen a lot of people, given the right opportunities and the right help, can be contributing members of society and not someone who society is indebted to for basic sustenance. Here’s an opportunity to do that.”
Reiley says society’s acceptance and education on mental disorders has likely led to a rise in cases that would have otherwise gone the traditional court route but now would be eligible for Wellness Court.
“We’re far more educated on it so we’re far more able to see things that we may not have been observant to in the past,” he says. “We’ve seen a lot of problems be economically driven. All they need is one catastrophic life event and life as they know is upside down. Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder … anything and everything can happen and our Wellness Court is a way to help them.”
Feature Photo caption: The Schuylkill County Wellness Court judicial team of Stine, Goodman, Russell, and Reiley are joined by State Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd.
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