In October 2024, the Pennsylvania Courts held a first-ever statewide Behavioral Health Summit that brought together over 500 judges, leaders, and stakeholders to address the growing behavioral health crisis within the judicial system. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty emphasized the increasing severity and frequency of behavioral health challenges and called the summit a “call to action” to improve court responses and support justice-involved individuals with behavioral health needs.
The summit, hosted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), fostered collaboration among judges, county and state leaders, and advocates. It highlighted the importance of both education and building relationships in creating informed solutions that positively impact the community. This initiative seeks to develop comprehensive strategies that address behavioral health issues and ensure both effective legal proceedings and compassionate, trauma-informed care.
A significant prior step in this effort was the establishment of the Office of Behavioral Health by the Pennsylvania Courts last year. This office is focused on promoting best practices at the intersections of at-risk populations and the courts. It is also dedicated to providing training and educational resources for judges, ensuring they are equipped to navigate cases involving those with behavioral health challenges. Key areas of focus include truancy, domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, criminal justice, and civil commitments.
The office is currently supporting the establishment of seven judicially led, behavioral health regional councils to ensure ongoing collaboration and progress. The councils will launch via regional summits across Pennsylvania with a focus on helping county leaders to understand and engage the legislature and stakeholders on regional priorities.
February 1, 2023
DV AWARE stands for Domestic Violence Analysis, Warning, Action, Recovery, and Engagement. Perpetrators of domestic violence can threaten the safety and well-being not only of their intimate partners and children, but also courts and communities. Beginning with a grant from SJI in 2021, the DV AWARE Project sought to support juvenile and family court systems …
January 1, 2023
On March 30, 2020, the Boards of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators took action to establish National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts Response to Mental Illness to assist state courts in their efforts to more effectively respond to the needs of court-involved individuals with serious mental illness. …
December 1, 2022
During the pandemic, the Puerto Rico Office of Courts Administration (OCA) created an email account through which self-represented litigants (SRLs) seeking an emergency restraining order, a temporary detention or an involuntary admission order related to the Mental Health Code could file their petition to the Municipal Court. SRLs could download, complete, and submit the applicable …
November 1, 2022
In January 2022, the National Association of Counties, Rulo Strategies, and Praxis Consulting launched a new initiative to support justice-oriented strategic planning co-led by judges and elected county leaders. This timely project leveraged the renewed interest many courts have, coming out of the pandemic, in partnering with local stakeholders to expand the resources available to …
October 1, 2022
In 2020, the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) received a SJI grant to assess the court’s access to and use of mental health and substance use recovery services within the community. Funding allowed the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) to conduct an assessment of strengths, opportunities and challenges that judges, court personnel and …
September 1, 2022
The emergence of COVID-19 has had widespread effects throughout the court system and quarantine orders slowed operations. The Supreme Court of Ohio anticipated an influx of evictions and foreclosure filings in Ohio’s trial courts, as well as a backlog of civil cases. Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor directed the Office of Court Services to convene stakeholders …