IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Johnson County is considering adding a criminal mental health court program aimed at helping repeat offenders with serious mental illness.
The county already operates a Civil Mental Health Court. The proposed criminal version would offer eligible defendants a treatment plan as an alternative to jail time.
Not every person charged with a crime would be eligible. Defendants would need a qualifying diagnosis, such as schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, and their charges would have to be low-level and nonviolent. Participation would also be voluntary…