Centre County district attorney launches new mental health initiative. Here’s what it means
Centre County’s top prosecutor launched Wednesday an initiative that aims to divert those with serious mental illness from the criminal justice system to the mental health system.
The behavioral and mental health diversion program spearheaded by county District Attorney Bernie Cantorna is designed to lessen police contact for those with mental illness, reduce recidivism and connect people with long-term, community-based mental health resources.
“One of the things we need to do in the criminal justice system is address the underlying causes that bring someone into the system,” Cantorna said in a written statement. “All too often, serious mental illness plays a role in individuals having police contact, arrests and incarceration.”
Look no further than the Centre County Correctional Facility for a stark example. More than 60% of inmates detained during August received treatment related to mental health issues, Warden Christopher Schell said.
Schell, who has prioritized mental health treatment at the jail since he was named warden in May 2017, supported the initiative.
“We’re not a therapeutic institution. We’re not. We’re a detention center. We detain people,” Schell said. “We do the best we can when we deal with anybody that has mental illness. In all reality, being incarcerated is not the ideal place to get them the help they need at times. We’re trying every avenue we can and this is one avenue that’s gonna be really beneficial.”
The case-by-case program, which went into effect Wednesday, is not expected to use any taxpayer money. It’s designed to place people into one of two pre-existing systems.
The first track is primarily for non-violent offenses. Enrollees are expected to comply with their treatment plan for at least six months, but that could increase to two years.
If successful, those accused of a crime could enter into the county’s accelerated rehabilitative disposition program, which provides an opportunity for people to have charges dismissed or expunged.
People can then avoid the “consequences of a lengthy criminal record that would make it difficult for them to have productive lives in our society,” Cantorna said.
The second track is for “crimes of a serious nature” and those deemed to require structured supervision.
Requirements include a negotiated plea agreement, compliance with a mental health treatment program for at least six months and 10 standard conditions. Jail time is not ruled out.
The initiative drew praise from the 3/20 Coalition, a community activist group formed after a white State College police officer fatally shot a Black borough resident with mental illness in March 2019.
“It’s a very good move,” structural reform and steering committee member Geoff Landers-Nolan said. “We should generally move away from legitimizing the criminal justice system as the way to treat mental health disorders and addiction, and this is a necessary and helpful step along the way to avoid the consequences of incarceration and a criminal record for people whose main struggle is the impact of untreated trauma, addiction, and/or other mental health impacts.”
Added secretary and steering committee member Melanie Morrison: “This is part of a greater task in our community to ensure sufficient funding and appropriate allocation for those funds. So much work still needs to be done in regards to police overreach with regard to mental health issues, homelessness, community service issues, etc. We are encouraged by this initiative, but continue to call on the DA for more profound measures to ensure the safety of Black citizens, as well as those with mental health issues.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania complimented the initiative as a “step in the right direction,” but pushed for a pre-arrest diversion program instead, like the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program.
“People with mental illness should be diverted from the criminal justice system,” ACLU-PA criminal justice policy counsel Nyssa Taylor said in a written statement. “However, the onerous requirements of this program — cases are only withdrawn if a person completes all requirements of the program, including complete payment of restitution and regular drug testing — makes this program more akin to intensive probation, rather than truly meaningful reform.”
Data gathered from this initiative could lay the groundwork for the formation of a mental health court in Centre County. About 23 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties have a mental health court, according to the administrative office of Pennsylvania courts.
A 30-person task force charged with evaluating Centre County’s mental health system and crisis services is scheduled to deliver its final report in November.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 5:30 PM.