What was the impetus for creating the 18th Judicial Mental Health Court?
Like the rest of the state, the 18th Judicial District (which includes Arapahoe, Douglas, Lincoln and Elbert counties) has been greatly affected by the growing number of seriously mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system. The issue was identified as a critical problem in 2008 by the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice. In the prior year, a Metro Area County Commissioners Task Force gathered law enforcement, county officials, criminal justice and mental health agencies and concerned individuals for an extensive analysis of the gaps in the criminal justice/mental health systems. Resulting recommendations included a mental health court in this jurisdiction. The statistics are compelling. Arapahoe County Detention Center data for 2008 shows that 20 – 25% of the jail population was being treated for a serious mental illness, as compared to the national average of approximately 6% of the general population. The Douglas County Detention Center reported 15% of its
