Login | April 16, 2024
Stow judge takes Mental Health Court in STRIDE
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: November 21, 2014
Lisa Coates has always had an interest in mental health.
When she was a child, her mother was a nurse on the mental health ward.
After graduating from law school, Coates witnessed troubled souls herself while employed by the federal government at the Department of Veteran Affairs and then later the Social Security Administration.
And when Coates became judge in 2003 of Stow Municipal Court, the topic of mental health would again touch her life.
“As a judge, I’d see the same two young men every two or three months,” she recalled. “They kept committing crimes and it was solely because they were off their meds. They were doing things like disturbing the peace and stealing. They were having conversations with people who weren’t there. I was actually doing a mini-Mental Health Court just for them.”
So Coates got to thinking.
Why not start the real thing?
She spent most of 2009 visiting other courts across the state to find out how she could bring such a program to Stow, which serves 16 communities in northeast Summit County and handles an average of 20,000 cases a year.
In Feb. 2010, Stow’s first specialized docket - a mental health court known as STRIDE (Successful Treatment Results in Developing Excellence) - was created. The goal of STRIDE is to move offenders with mental illness from the criminal justice system by teaching them to make healthy changes affecting their lives.
Only those charged with certain misdemeanors and facing a potential jail sentence are eligible (those charged with sex offenses, OVI, crimes with weapons or crimes with children as victims are not eligible).
STRIDE participants must have a major mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the mental capacity to understand the requirements of the program, the willingness to participate and the desire to take prescribed medication.
Referrals are made at arraignment by a judge, prosecutor, defense attorney or police officer. A screening process is then conducted to see if he or she meets the requirements of the program.
STRIDE is a two-year commitment. Besides appearing at Mental Health Court before Coates weekly (and then gradually less), participants must also follow community control guidelines and intensive case management services. They must also abstain from alcohol and illegal drugs.
After graduating from the program, community control is terminated.
Mental Health dockets are a collaborative effort of local judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, community control and treatment professionals.
“The whole premise of this is rewards and sanctions,” said Coates.
Rewards for good behavior often come from the judge’s basket of goodies that contain household items, art supplies for defendants’ children and dog bones for their pets – items they can’t buy with food stamps.
“Another reward is not having to see me as often, although I never go less than every three weeks,” she said. “With mental health, it’s a disease like any other disease. For some reason, they just don’t want to take their medication. Weekly monitoring works because you can tell when they’re off their meds.”
Sanctions are given for not seeing their doctor or not taking prescribed medicine. Punishments include court reprimands, increased court appearances, house arrest, community service and jail. Blatant disregard for the program can result in termination.
So far, 62 defendants have been referred for Mental Health Court assessment. Of those, 42 entered the program, 12 graduated, two are pending graduation and 10 to 12 are still in the program, Coates said.
“If they’re not going to make it, I’ll usually lose them pretty quickly, within the first month,” she said. “I have lost several within the last three to six months of the program. Those are the ones that frustrate me.
“But as of now, everyone who has graduated so far has had no new troubles, other than maybe a speeding ticket.”
Every Thursday afternoon, Coates meets with the treatment team for one hour. She then closes up regular court to the public for the day and Mental Health Court begins.
Although she allows up to 35 defendants in STRIDE at a time, she has not yet had that many.
“I spend 10 to 15 minutes a day talking to each of them,” Coates said. “I made the decision awhile back to keep the numbers lower. I haven’t gotten to 20 people yet.”
Coates is proud that her participants – who have ranged in age from 18 to mid-60s - come back to see her quite frequently. Even some who didn’t quite graduate tell her STRIDE has helped them in their daily lives.
Graduates are rewarded with gift cards and a holiday cookout with their families and friends.
“This doesn’t work without their support system,” said Coates. “The parties are a lot of fun. The families tell us they’re seeing an improvement.”
Coates’ mentor was Columbiana County Municipal Court Judge Carol Ann Robb, who had the first mental health docket certified by the Ohio Supreme Court. She also got ideas from judges in Akron and Wayne County.
“Judge Robb gave me some of her philosophies about why she was doing what she was doing,” Coates said. “Now that I’m certified, I’m able to mentor. I’m mentoring (South Euclid Municipal Court) Judge Gayle Williams-Byers. I’m glad I’m able to give back now.”
STRIDE received its initial certification from the Ohio Supreme Court in December 2013 and final certification in April.
Coates said there is an ever-increasing need for mental health courts.
“We have closed down a lot of mental health facilities, and they’re letting people out too soon,” she said. “I have such sympathy for the mentally ill. A lot of these crimes are committed just because people are afraid.”
Coates said mental health courts also make economic sense.
According to the STRIDE website, more than half of all jail inmates have a mental health problem. Nearly 25 percent of jail inmates with a mental health problem served three or more prior incarcerations.
Incarceration of mentally ill offenders costs about $25,000 per person per year. Mental Health Court costs less than $3,000 annually per person.
Amy Anderson, a probation officer with STRIDE, said she is pleased with the program as it approaches its five-year anniversary.
“It gets people stabilized so they can keep doing the things they need to do,” Anderson said. “They’ve gone on to have successful jobs and be productive members of society.”
The probation officer added that Coates is the ideal person to lead mental health court.
“She is very patient,” Anderson said. “She holds their feet to the fire. She’s very, very hands on. She knows what’s going on with each person individually, in all aspects of their life. She knows their kids’ names, where they work, right down to their pets. She really wants to see them succeed and does everything in her power to make sure that happens.”
Coates said she’s glad there is less of a stigma nowadays with mental health.
“For the first time in a long time, people are willing to discuss it,” she said. “It’s a very tough disease. You can be a danger to yourself or others. When I really get to see someone turn into the person you know they can be, it’s amazing.”