More From Montgomery County

Today's Houston Chronicle reports, "Montgomery County tries team approach to help mentally ill."  It's by Renée C. Lee.  Here's an extended excerpt:

Montgomery County has begun providing mentally ill defendants with a professional team to help them with legal and personal needs in an effort to keep them out of jail.

The county's Managed Assigned Counseling Mental Health program, launched last month, is the second in the state. Lubbock County started its program, which handles all indigent defendants, a few weeks earlier.

State lawmakers authorized the new model of indigent defense last year. It enables judges to remove themselves from assigning and paying attorneys to represent the poor.

Instead, managed assigned counseling pairs defendants with a specially trained attorney, a case manager coordinator and a case worker. Together, they walk defendants through the criminal process and assist them with obtaining community services, such as counseling, housing and other services.

The team continues to work with defendants for up to six months after their case ends.

"Our goal is to keep them from reoffending and to give them whatever skills or assistance they need," said state District Judge Cara Wood, who helped develop the program.

In fast-growing Montgomery County, courts and attorneys have little time to spend on mental health cases, Wood said. The program gives the county a way to ensure the mentally ill are treated fairly.

The county received a $487,000 grant from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and matching funds from Commissioners Court to develop the program. The grant also will fund a new mental health court docket to monitor defendants who are on probation. Wood and Montgomery County Court at Law Judge Mary Ann Turner will oversee the docket.

A managing attorney, Sara Forlano, oversees legal education requirements, court appearances and performance evaluations for the attorneys who participate.

Earlier coverage of the Montgomery County program is at the link.  Related posts are in the mental illness index.