Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton gives introductions during the Bartholomew County Veterans Treatment Court graduation ceremony in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 at the Bartholomew County Courthouse in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, May 12, 2022.
A local judge hopes to have a Mental Health Problem Solving Court in place in Columbus as early as this July.
Bartholomew Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton has filed a letter of intent to create the court with the Indiana Office of Court Services. If approved, Chief Probation Officer Brad Barnes will be the program coordinator.
Worton, who presides over all local mental health commitments, said the community’s standard justice system is simply not equipped to adequately deal with defendants suffering with severe mental illness.
“We need more tools to increase the safety of our citizens and to ensure that mentally-ill defendants are receiving the level of accountability, treatment and supervision that they require, so that they can live their lives outside of the justice system,” Worton said.
Problem solving courts utilize a team approach to handling certain cases involving qualifying criminal defendants charged with certain lower level crimes. Their goal is to facilitate rehabilitation of carefully screened and selected defendants who are willing to try to change their behavior. Instead of a jail sentence, defendants are given counseling, treatment for their addictions or illnesses, educational assistance and health care support.
The creation of a mental health court will not only makes sense financially, but should also prove to be the most ethical approach for the mentally ill and their families, according to Debbie Teike, a leader with the South Central Indiana chapter of the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI).
Because the public is frequently instructed to call 911,Teike said a family member will sometimes end up in jail as a remedy for treatment. But often, these people cannot speak for themselves and are not aware of their illness, she explained.
In fact, it’s now estimated that up to 50% of people with schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder suffer from anosognosia, a condition that impairs a person’s ability to understand and perceive his or her illness, said Tony Roberts, who serves as a crisis intervention trainer for the Columbus Police Department.
Anosognosia may be the single largest reason why people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder refuse medications or do not seek treatment, he said.
“Your brain will not only prevent you from knowing you are ill, but will also lead you to believe the treatments people are trying to give you are poisonous,” Roberts said.
Teike says she’s is hopeful the court will help the public understand that those with a mental health condition have a medical condition, and the offenses are not necessarily from a lack of character, morality or a criminal mindset.
“Mental Health Court brings together resources to direct a person with a mental health condition toward stability, a healthy thriving life, and stops the repeated cycle toward the criminal justice system,” Teike said.
At least eight mental health courts currently exist in Indiana, with two in Indianapolis, with one each in Kokomo, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Bloomington, Indianapolis, Anderson, and Crown Point.
If approved, the mental health court will be the community’s fourth problem-solving court. Worton already presides over the Veteran’s Treatment Court while Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin presides over the Drug Recovery Court. The Family Recovery Court is handled by Juvenile Magistrate Brittney Newland.
