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Co-Occurring Disorders Course Focuses on Managing Special Groups of Inmates

By Daphne A. Burns, Program Attorney

6/22/2009

Drug, mental health, and co-occurring courts and dockets have an increasing presence and impact in the criminal justice systems across the country.  There is a reason. A study released earlier this month by Psychiatric Services reports that a startling 31 percent of women and 14.5 percent of men entering jails have serious mental illnesses. These estimates are three to six times higher than the general population where roughly one in 17 suffers from a serious mental illness. Nearly half of those with a mental disorder meet the criteria for two or more disorders. Compounding this crisis is the fact that approximately 68 percent of jail inmates across the country abused or were dependent upon alcohol or drugs. Jails are becoming the largest mental health providers in some states. Without these specialized courts, the criminal justice system serves, at least in part, as a revolving door for persons with mental health substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders.

The National Judicial College began engaging judges in a dialogue on the issue of substance abuse and its impact on the criminal courts across this country nearly 35 years ago.  There are now over 2,100 drug courts and 150 mental health courts across the country—with more in the development, start-up, and implementation stages. This year, the Bureau of Justice Assistance stepped up its efforts to assist states in planning, implementing, or expanding their effort through its funding of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Programs. 

To assist judges with drug court, mental health court, or co-occurring court dockets, we present a number of courses—one of which is the Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders course which will be taught on October 5-8, 2009. The course is taught by a veteran faculty and led by Judge Peggy Hora (ret.) whose twenty-year criminal docket included presiding over a Drug Treatment Court in Northern California. She lectures nationally and internationally on justice issues, and is a prolific writer on drug, mental health, and co-occurring court dockets. 

Begun a decade ago, the course has evolved into an intensive four-day, hands-on course that teaches judges to identify, assess, and manage persons with mental and/or substance abuse disorders. It teaches judges to select appropriate judicial strategies and tools for treatment and monitoring; the course also assists judges in devising plans for implementing systems or ideas to address co-occurring disorders issues.

We invite you to attend this informative course. Scholarships are available to qualifying judges.