Issue 29
April 2018
Unified Family Court Connection, Spring 2018

The Spring 2018 issue of CFCC's Unified Family Court Connection  looks at the subject of mental health. The subject has become a key focal point of discussion throughout our nation, whether it is related to addiction issues, gun violence, homelessness, or criminal recidivism. Courts today are taking a more active role to address the mental health needs of families and children in court. 
The Spring 2018 issue of the Unified Family Court Connection includes the following articles on mental health courts, trial competency, and suicide prevention:  
 
Mental Health Courts Advance Justice
John J. McCarthy, the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, writes about the impact of a mental health court in the suburban Washington, D.C. county and how the court has diverted individuals who commit low-level crimes due to mental illness away from jail and into treatment.

A Collaborative Approach to Competency Restoration Is Essential
Bhinna P. Park, M.D. , a fourth-year psychiatry resident at the University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt residency program, and Christopher M. Wilk, M.D., a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who provides court-ordered evaluations, write about a collaborative approach to outpatient competency restoration.

Unified Family Courts: Judges Become Champions for Zero Suicide
The Honorable Ginger Lerner-Wren, who pioneered the first mental health court in the U.S. in Broward County, Florida, discusses the urgent need to elevate and prioritize suicide prevention in unified family courts.
 
Mental Health Court Offers Defendants a Chance to Revamp their Lives
The Honorable Gail E. Rasin, who presides over the Baltimore City Circuit Court's Mental Health Court, discusses how mental health courts offer defendants a chance to change their lives.

CFCC's Unified Family Court Connection is the only publication  

in the U.S. devoted to the development and advancement  

of unified family courts.
About CFCC

The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts promotes policies and practices that unite families, communities and the justice system to improve the lives of children and families and the health of communities. CFCC advocates the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, the understanding that the legal system has an effect on behavior, emotions and mental health.

Barbara A. Babb is the Associate Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore; Founder and Director of Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC); Director of the Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law program at the University of Baltimore; and Editor-in-Chief of the Family Court Review. 

CFCC Staff and Contributors: Gloria Danziger, Senior Fellow; Michele Hong-Polansky, Program Manager; Arion Alston, Truancy Court Mentor; Anthony "Bubba" Green, Truancy Court Program Mentor; Spencer Hall, Truancy Court Program Manager; Ellen Line, Truancy Court Program Social Worker; Katie Davis, Truancy Court Program Attorney; Katrice Williams, Program Administrative Specialist.

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