FAYETTEVILLE -- A new diversionary court being considered for Washington County could provide a link to services needed to help people with mental health problems avoid incarceration, members of a county panel said Friday.
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee has been discussing a mental health court, similar to drug court programs, available to people who are arrested for crimes, but have identifiable mental health issues that can be addressed in a supervised setting. Some members of the group participated in a Zoom meeting with officials in Craighead County to discuss the mental health court already operating in Jonesboro.
"It was very well-run," Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett said of the information presented during the videoconference with mental health court officials in Jonesboro. "It looked fantastic."
Dr. Laura Tyler with Arisa Health said the mental health court in Jonesboro has been operating for more than 10 years. Tyler said officials in Jonesboro have provided reports on their operation, including the court's budget, for Washington County to study.
Nick Robbins, co-chairman of the committee, said he was impressed with the way the court maintained a positive atmosphere for the participants and also with the new technologies being used. Robbins said the court program monitors participants and works to keep them off drugs rather than focusing on punishing them for lapses.
"I was impressed with the emphasis on 'clean time,'" Robbins said, noting the court uses "sweat patches" to track the level of drugs in a participant's system. "They focus on their success."
The committee was formed to explore alternatives to a proposed jail expansion project. Sheriff Tim Helder presented a plan for a $38 million, 600-bed jail expansion to the Quorum Court in 2018. The now-shelved expansion would have been funded with a temporary sales tax.
The committee includes representatives from law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, mental health professionals and some community representatives.
A $20-million plan adding 232 beds and expanding space for isolation and quarantine of detainees, for booking, medical services, courts, administrative offices and storage in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic is currently being considered by the Quorum Court.
The panel also heard Friday the Northwest Arkansas Crisis Stabilization Unit may open in June.
Kristen McAllister is a member of the committee and was director of the facility for Ozark Guidance when it opened in June 2019. She has been retained by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to fill the same post when it reopens. Washington County and UAMS agreed to a contract for UAMS to operate the facility in January.
McAllister told the panel UAMS is still hiring staff needed to operate the facility.
The unit closed last year after Ozark Guidance said the company, a nonprofit group, couldn't absorb a cut in funding of $43,000 a month and still operate the unit. The unit closed June 30 after the cuts, from $133,000 per month to $90,000, were announced by the state in May.
The 16-bed facility is operated as an alternative to jail. Participation is voluntary for those treated, who are usually accused of creating a disturbance, trespassing or other disruptive behaviors, law enforcement officials said.
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NoneCrisis units
Arkansas opened four 16-bed crisis stabilization units as a pilot program through June 2021. The crisis unit in Sebastian County in Fort Smith opened in March 2018. The Pulaski County unit in Little Rock opened in August 2018. The Northwest Arkansas unit in Fayetteville opened in June 2019, and the Craighead County unit in Jonesboro opened in October 2019. The state paid the operating costs of the units through June 2021 while evaluating the program’s effectiveness.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette