Behavioral Health and the Courts: What Should You Be Doing Right Now?

In this episode, we ask the question, “What should our courts be doing now?”  This month we bring our discussion on behavioral health and the courts home. In previous episodes we talked about the extent of the problem nationally and how it affects each community; we discussed the need for community collaboration; we explored the challenge of criminal competency to stand trial, and we learned how mental health manifests itself as trauma in our young people.  This month is the last of our five-episode discussion with members of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.

The Honorable Christopher M. Goff was appointed as Indiana’s 110^th justice in 2017 by Governor Eric J. Holcomb. Prior to his appointment, Justice Goff was judge of the Wabash Superior Court for twelve years during which time he established the Wabash County Drug Court, Wabash County Family Recovery Court, and the Wabash County Reentry Court. He has served as President of the Huntington County Police Merit Board and was named Huntington County’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He is currently the Chair of the Indiana Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC) as well as serving as a member of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.

Scott Block holds a master’s degree in counseling, is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, a Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor, a Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional, and a National Center for State Court’s Certified Court Manager. As the AOIC’s Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator, Scott serves as the Illinois Judicial Branch’s dedicated voice and resource, committed to furthering local, state, and national behavioral health and justice initiatives as they affect the courts. In this capacity, he acts as the project director for the Illinois Mental Health Task Force, provides behavioral health related administrative support to the Illinois Supreme Court, and acts as liaison to state and national behavioral health and justice affiliates and organizations.

Walter Thompson Sr. is a Peer Recovery Support Specialist and retired Non-Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Army after serving more than 20 years. He is an Ordained Deacon at his local church, an advocate for mental health and was recently elected Commissioner and Vice Mayor of Florida City, FL. He attended Central Texas College and Miami Dade College. He is a certified Peer Specialist and Group Instructor. He is also an Intention Peer Specialist (IPS), Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator (WRAP), Interactive Journaling (IJ) Facilitator, and Small Group Instructor (SGI). He is committed to Mentoring underprivileged youth and being a leader in his community.

Patricia Tobias has been a Principal Court Management Consultant with the National Center for State Courts in Denver, Colorado since 2014, after serving 20+ years as the Idaho State Court Administrator and 13 years with the Missouri Courts at both the trial and state court level. She is a past president of the Conference of State Court Administrators and served as Vice-Chair, NCSC Board of Directors. She was honored with the Warren E. Burger Award for Excellence in Court Administration in 2012.