Polk County Rotarians got to hear about a way that youth can be diverted away from a life of recidivism because of ongoing mental health issues not addressed early enough in life via a new Accountability Court under development in Polk County.
Tallapoosa Circuit Juvenile Court Judge Laura Lundy Wheale is seeking with the help of a soon-to-start new hire Jessica Brown of Mosaic Place to develop a Mental Health Accountability Court specifically for youth who can be diverted at an early age from the serving time in Youth Detention Centers because of incidents that happen that see them ending up in the criminal justice system.
Brown, the forthcoming Family Treatment Court Case Manager for the Juvenile Court, will eventually be moving into a role as the Tallapoosa Circuit Juvenile Mental Health Court Coordinator when the court further develops and with the expectation the court be able to secure grant money and community support to run the court.
She told the Polk County Rotary Club during their Tuesday meeting held in Cedartown at Mosaic Place that the goal of the court is to provide youth with help before they are in a place where their behavior is causing them to end up in and out of the court system and in trouble.
The court will be taking referrals from several sources, and are seeking partnerships with organizations like the Polk School District, Haralson County Schools, the Department of Family and Children Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and others within the court and public safety that can work together on the goal of helping youth.
“If we can reach them early on, the chances of them ending up in jail for something that happened due to mental health, and if we can treat them when they are young and before they end up in the criminal justice system, have a chance to be productive members of society,” Brown said.
She noted that additional steps are needed in the coming months before the court is fully up and running, but said that at the moment they are looking at a variety of resources that are available at the state level. She hopes funding will become available that the court can hire an in-house therapist specialized in youth care, and a case manager as well.
Those who are interested in helping the forthcoming accountability court or have access to resources can contact Brown at jbrown@polkga.org.
