Domestic Violence Mental Health Court

The Domestic Violence Division recognizes the uniqueness of violence involving intimate partners or family members with serious mental health problems. The Domestic Violence Division’s Mental Health Court (DV Mental Health Court), scheduled every Thursday morning, was developed to dedicate additional judicial time and resources to domestic violence defendants with mental health issues. To participate, the defendant must have an underlying misdemeanor domestic violence arrest/case (the case number should begin with the letter ‘M’). Once the defendant is stabilized, he or she is given the opportunity to participate in the Mental Health program if the State Attorney and the victim agree. Supervision by the court includes treatment and reintegration into the community. The emphasis is on aggressive mental health treatment as the court recognizes that rapid disposition of domestic violence charges without stabilization of mental health needs and appropriate domestic violence intervention can be harmful to victims and children. Treatment of these defendants is supervised through reports from mental health providers.