BAY MINETTE — Two days after legislation to perpetually fund a Mental Health Court in Baldwin County took effect, the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation presented a grant to start immediate funding for the program.
After almost a decade of waiting, Baldwin County is now able to offer direct help to people with mental health issues through its newly created Mental Health Court.
Rep. Matt Simpson (R - Daphne) led the charge on the creation of this new court, securing stable funding through a bill passed in the legislature this year and getting startup funding immediately, in the form of a $100,000 grant courtesy of the members of the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation and its Community Capital Fund.
“Almost immediately after the bill passed, we started getting phone calls asking when the court would take effect,” Simpson said during a press conference held Tuesday, Aug. 3 in Courtroom 1 at the Baldwin County Courthouse.
While the bill, which was passed unanimously by the State Legislature and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, took affect Aug. 1 and calls for a $10 fee added to criminal court cases in Baldwin County, it could take a year for funds to build up enough to fund the court, Simpson said.
The Baldwin County Legislative Delegation, which includes Simpson, Sen. Chris Elliott, Sen. Greg Albritton, Rep. Harry Shiver, Rep. Alan Baker, Rep. Joe Faust and Rep. Steve McMillon, decided to get together and provide a one-time grant to fund the program until funds from the court fees could build up enough.
The Mental Health Court is similar to the county’s already existing Drug Court and Veterans Court, where people who participate in the program are diverted away from traditional jail sentences for their crimes. With the Mental Health Court, potential participants will be screened by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and mental health experts from Altapointe to see if they are good candidates for the program.
“This program will allow us to start right away,” said Circuit Court Judge Scott Taylor, who oversees the Baldwin County Drug Court and will also oversee the Baldwin County Mental Health Court.
Taylor said there are already candidates who have been identified through the Baldwin County Drug Court system that are ready to go through the screening process and that he may start seeing program entrees in his courtroom as soon as next week.
As many as one to two dozen candidates could be helped by the Mental Health Court in the first year, he said.
Baldwin County District Attorney Bob Wilters and Maj. Jimmy Milton, chief deputy with the Baldwin County Corrections System, were also on hand for the press conference. Along with members of the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation, District Court Judge Jody Bishop, Probate Court Judge Harry D’Olive, Baldwin County Commissioner Jeb Ball and representatives from Altapointe were also among those present Tuesday.
“Years ago when we realized that the biggest provider of mental health care in the state of Alabama came from the Department of Corrections and law enforcement, we knew something had to be done,” said Wilters, a retired judge who helped create the Baldwin County Drug Court. “This is a huge step in the right direction toward that goal.”
Milton estimated that about 20 percent, or approximately 120 of the county’s inmate population are dealing with mental health issues and could qualify for a program like the Mental Health Court.
“This is 100 percent a step in the right direction,” he said, “and I know the Sheriff is completely on board with this program and we are committed to making this work here in Baldwin County.”
“Having this Mental Health Court for our people will immediately take some of the pressures off our county jail, which has become the biggest mental health services provider in the county,” Simpson said. “By putting these people with mental illnesses into the program, we’d be taking them out of the jail situation they currently find themselves in and connecting with all of the mental health services they might need to lead more productive and healthier lives. It has the added bonus of cutting down on costs for the county jail, and allows Sheriff Mack and his team the time and ability to use resources for rehabilitation.”
Simpson’s bill creates level year-to-year funding for the future.
Simpson added that Baldwin County’s Mental Health Court is the first in Southwest Alabama and that numerous communities and even other commissions have used it as a model for setting up their own court, so he feels Baldwin County is in prime position to be a shining example for what such a program can do.
Simpson thanked all of those involved in enabling Baldwin County Mental Health Court to hit the ground running in Baldwin County.
“This would not have happened if it was just the work of one person,” he said. “It took the tireless effort by the entire team here in Baldwin County, all of our legislators, judges, law enforcement and members of the mental health community and they are all committed to making this program a succes
