Mental Health Court

SMC’s Mental Health Court (MHC) is a criminal court for misdemeanor offenses in the City of Seattle. MHC is a voluntary, therapeutic, court-monitored program that addresses the intersection of mental health, substance use and justice involvement for individuals with mental health diagnoses.

As a collaborative therapeutic court, MHC balances accountability with treatment and recovery. It provides referrals, resources and support in place of traditional prosecution, with the goal of restoring stability and promoting successful reintegration into the community.

The MHC Team

Therapeutic Courts are rooted in coordination among the team members and collaboration with participants. With participants as the central focus, MHC’s team includes:

Eligibility

An individual is eligible for MHC if the following apply:

Have a mental health diagnosis
Willing to engage in behavioral health care
Clinically indicated treatment is available
Willing to abide by court conditions

**DVU and DUI cases require approval from the prosecutor

More details on eligibility criteria is here.

Referral Process

Please email MHC’s public health partners at SMC-MHC.courtservices@kingcounty.gov. You only need to provide the client’s name, date of birth and case number(s) (if available) to get the screening process started.

If you are unsure if MHC is right for you or your client, please reach out to our public health partners to learn more about the program.

When making a referral to MHC, it is helpful if you include the following information in your email:

Client name
Case number(s)
Client contact/location (In/out of custody, facility, email/phone, etc.)
Future court date
Charge(s)
Additional Information (provider, diagnosis, housing info, etc.)

Alternatively, you can complete the following form and attach it to your email: MHC Referral Form

Other MHC forms that are used during the referral and screening process: MHC Release of Information
Additional attorney court forms can be found here.

Program Benefits and Resources

With the support of the MHC team to connect to resources, services and treatment that meet their unique needs and promote health and wellbeing, Seattle expects to see a reduction in criminal behavior and an increase in services received for individuals with mental health diagnoses.

Mental Health Court Participants Receive Assistance with:

Mental Health Treatment
SUD Treatment
General Healthcare
Accessing resources, services and support, including housing, benefits and more

Team members from Public Health are available to work with participants to get them connected to the resources, services and support they need.

Contact Information

Please reach out to SMC’s MHC Public Health partners with any questions about the referral or screening process.
Email: SMC-MHC.courtservices@kingcounty.gov
Phone: (206) 477-0404 Fax: (206) 259-2763
For general questions about SMC’s MHC, please contact: SMC_TherapeuticCourts@seattle.gov

For questions about civil commitments or other civil matters related to mental health, please contact:
Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) Court: The ITA Court is at Harborview Medical Center. The ITA Court sees petitions for court-ordered mental health treatment not part of a criminal case. A Superior Court judge or commissioner decides if a person needs to be civilly committed. This is only if they pose a threat to themselves or others due to exhibited symptoms of mental illness.

King County Crisis and Commitment Services: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or drug- and/or alcohol-use related crisis, help is available for everyone in King County, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Other Courts and Mental Health Resources

King County Regional Mental Health Court: The King County Regional Mental Health Court serves individuals throughout King County.
Crisis Connections: Provides crisis intervention, information, and referral information to all people of King County. Crisis Connections operates a 24-hour broad focus telephone crisis intervention and referral service at: (866) 427-4747
King County Deartment of Community and Human Services, Mental Health Services:Provides a list of both residential and community-based treatment providers for mental health issues.
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Greater Seattle (NAMI):A nonprofit organization whose major goal is to address the unmet needs of individuals with severe mental illness and their families.
National Alliance on Mental Illness: They are dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of those whose lives are affected by these disorders.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration: The Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses.
The Council of State Government, Mental Health and Criminal Justice Consensus Project:The Consensus Project compiles information about Mental Health Courts and best practices across the country.
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: A nonprofit legal advocacy organization based in Washington D.C. whose name honors the federal appeals court judge whose landmark decisions pioneered the field of mental health law, and our advocacy is based on the principle that every individual is entitled to choice and dignity.
National Institute of Mental Health: Their mission is to diminish the burden of mental illness through research. This public health mandate demands that we harness powerful scientific tools to achieve better understanding, treatment, and eventually prevention of mental illness.