|
|
|
|||||
|
Texas County to Establish First Free Legal Clinic for People with Mental
Texas County to Establish First Free Legal Clinic for People with Mental
Illnesses Travis County, Texas, will use a $500,000, four-year state grant to create the Mental Health Public Defender Office, which will handle misdemeanor cases involving people with mental illnesses. Its goal is to divert clients from jail, although this may not always be possible, County Judge Sam Biscoe told the (Austin) American-Statesman. Biscoe added that the office expects to handle about 500 misdemeanor cases a year. Staff attorneys will evaluate whether clients can receive probation and placement into programs, depending on their history of criminal activity and their degree of mental illness. The program--expected to be up and running by November--is the first of its kind in the country, according to Texas Appleseed, a public interest law center. Sources: http://www.texasappleseed.net/pdf/press_Robbins_TexasLawyer_MHPD.pdf <http://www.texasappleseed.net/pdf/press_Robbins_TexasLawyer_MHPD.pdf> http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/05/27defenders..html <http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/05/27defenders.html> New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services e-news * * * 2006-07-11 02:57:01 GMT
Here I will discuss issues related to mental health needs. I work as an advocate. There will be some personal posts.
|
|
|||||
