Mental Health Court

The Miami County Common Pleas Mental Health Court was launched by Judge Stacy M. Wall on June 9, 2022.  The Court is authorized by Local Rule 23 and is governed by an Advisory Team that approves all operating documents and is advised of all statistics of the Court.  The Court operates through a Treatment Team consisting of a designated probation officer, representatives from treatment agencies and a representative of Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services.

A criminal defendant, charged with a felony(ies) of the fifth, fourth or third degree, may be referred to the Mental Health Court docket (Referral Form attached), where the Defendant must be found to be legally eligible and clinically eligible.  The Defendant is then sentenced to the Mental Health Court either as a term of community control or intervention in lieu of conviction. 

The Court consists of four phases: (1) Orientation and Compliance; (2) Stabilization; (3) Community Reintegration; and (4) Growth, Development and Maintenance.  It is anticipated that all four phases will take approximately 18 – 24 months to complete, depending on the progress of the participant.

Program Overview

The Mental Health Court (“MH Court”) is an intensive probation program offering targeted treatment to offenders who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness and whose illness was a primary factor contributing to their involvement in the criminal justice system.   This program is designed to provide participants access to treatment and resources to achieve stability of mental health symptoms, bettering quality of life for participants, resulting in rehabilitation with reduced likelihood of reoffending.

Mission Statement

The Mental Health Court is dedicated to providing participants who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness and which contributed to their involvement in the criminal justice system, with access to individual treatment specific to their individual needs and diagnosis, providing resources necessary to establish accountability, independence, and stability, ultimately decreasing their interaction with the criminal justice system and improving overall quality of life.  The Mental Health Court is a provider and conduit to the knowledge and access needed for essential needs and resources.   

Clinical Eligibility

Participants must have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, including, but not limited to, Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder (bipolar or depressive), Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as diagnosed by a licensed provider and as described in the most current edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).

Judge Wall is extremely invested in offering a means of rehabilitation that the participants have not experienced, which has resulted in reoffending.   As one participant conveyed to Judge Wall, you are “dissecting” each person’s issues and treating those individual needs.  

 Mental Health Referral Form

For more information, contact Probation Officer Jonathan Kanet at jkanet@miamicountyohio.gov  or Staff Attorney Kevin Lantz at klantz@miamicountyohio.gov.