Erie County Treament Court conducted the twenty-second graduation ceremony on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the Erie County Court House, Erie, PA.
The Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA congratulates the five graduates of the Erie County Treatment Court. One person received an early discharge from the program.
Best wishes on your journey.
A support group for the graduates meets every other Tuesday at 9:30 PM. This meeting is held at the Salvation Army Center.
The Erie County Treatment Court consists of two components, a Drug/Alcohol Component commonly referred to as Drug Court (started in March 2000) and a mental illness component commonly referred to as Mental Health Court (started in March 2002).
Both components work within the framework of one combined Treatment Court in order to handle drug involved defendants and/or seriously mentally ill defendants. Treatment Court is in a supportive, treatment oriented setting that uses graduated sanctions along with incentives.
The Erie County Treatment Court has been developed to handle cases involving non-violent seriously mentally ill offenders and non-violent drug using offenders through intensive/comprehensive supervision, case management and treatment. The intervenors on the Treatment Court Team are the Judge, Prosecutor, Defense Counsel, Case Managers, Treatment Specialists, Probation Officers, Law Enforcement, Correctional Personnel and others. This unique partnership that has been developed in Erie County is able to provide a comprehensive and holistic approach in addressing one of the most devastating problems facing our community today, crime, drug abuse and mental illness.
The Erie County Treatment Court is a joint program involving:
It is estimated that nationwide 2,400 drug courts and 288 mental health courts are in operation and more are being planned.
Pennsylvania has thirty operational adult or juvenile drug courts, fifteen adult mental health courts and thirteen DUI courts.
Erie County is an organizational member of the National and PA Association of Drug Court Professionals.