An alternative mental health court for involuntary treatment of people with severe mental illness has received more than 100 petitions since it launched in seven California counties in October, state officials said Friday.
The state believes between 7,000 and 12,000 people statewide will eventually be eligible for CARE Court. which starts limited before Los Angeles County became the latest and largest county to launch the program on Friday.
“This is exactly where we want to be,” said Dr. Mark Galli, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.
Ghaly told reporters he was optimistic about the early results and that the number of referrals reflected the small eligible population so far. Only those who are at least 18 years old and have schizophrenia or a related disorder will be eligible. Major depression, bipolar disorder, and addiction alone do not qualify.
“We are in good shape. We’re giving our local partners time to build the capability to manage referrals to make sure they’re doing their best,” Galli said at a briefing on Friday. “In many ways, we’re seeing the snowball, if you will, build up bit by bit.”
Coping with homelessness
The civil trial, created by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is part of a larger push to address California’s homelessness crisis. It allows family members and first responders to petition on behalf of an adult they believe is “unlikely to survive safely” without supervision and whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. They can also file if an adult needs services and support to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would likely result in “serious harm or serious harm” to themselves or others.
A special civil court in each county reviews each petition to determine eligibility before requiring the person to participate in a voluntary plan that includes housing, medication, counseling and other social services. If all the parties can’t agree to a voluntary plan, the statute says the court will order them to work on a plan. Among the ongoing petitions, some have entered the court process and are working on creating their care plans, while other referrals are still being reviewed, Ghaly said. Some cases have also been dismissed, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Lawmakers hoped the program could get people with severe mental illness, many of whom are homeless, the help they need and get them off the streets. California is home to more than 171,000 homeless people – about 30% of the nation’s homeless population. But critics worried the program would be ineffective and punitive because it could force people into treatment.
The administration did not provide specifics on the number of petitions filed in each county. San Francisco, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Glenn counties launched the trial on October 1, with Los Angeles County starting its program on Friday. The rest of the state has until December 2024 to establish mental health courts.
Different approaches
Districts are trying different implementation approaches. San Diego County is integrating CARE Court with its conservatorship system to help transition people out of conservatorship, while Orange County is moving mental health court away from typical courtrooms into public spaces, Galli said.
“I’m quite pleased with the level of commitment, the level of partnership, the level of, you know, faith and optimism that is growing in our countries,” he said.
Representatives of Disability Rights California, a nonprofit that sued the state arguing the program would violate due process and equal protection rights under the state constitution, said the CARE Court could have unintended consequences.
“While officials express optimism, a hasty implementation may overlook critical aspects of community engagement and careful consideration,” said community organizer Vanessa Ramos.
“Severely Disabled”
Newsom signed legislation in October to expand the definition of “severely disabled” to include people who are unable to provide for basic needs like food and shelter because of untreated mental illness or unhealthy drug and alcohol use, making it easier for authorities to forced treatment.
Newsom is also pushing a plan to reform the state’s mental health system. Newsom’s proposal, which would overhaul how counties pay for mental and behavioral health programs and borrow $6.3 billion to pay for 10,000 new mental health treatment beds, will go before voters next March.
