Laserfiche WebLink
Sebastian Police Department <br />1201 Main Street <br />Sebastian, Florida, 32958 <br />772-589-5233 Fax 772-388 1872 e-mail spd@cityofsebastian.org <br />J. Michelle Morris, Chief of Police <br />October 26, 2014 <br />Board of County Commissioners <br />Indian River County, Florida <br />1801 27th Street <br />Vero Beach, FL 32960-3388 <br />Dear Commissioners: <br />The Sebastian Police Department fully supports the Mental Health Collaborative <br />Diversion Strategies Task Group in their recommendation to implement a mental <br />health court in Indian River County. <br />The Diversion Strategies Task Group consisting of Police Chiefs, State Attorneys, <br />Public Defenders and Judges joined together to explore ways to connect the <br />mentally ill within the criminal justice system with mental health services in the <br />community. <br />More than half of the inmates being held in the Indian River County Jail are <br />diagnosed with a mental illness. With available community resources dwindling for <br />people with serious mental illness (SMI), the courts see more repeat offenders <br />with untreated mental illness. <br />Florida's jails and prisons are not designed, equipped, or funded to deal with SMI, <br />so the use of the problem -solving court model is a logical response. <br />Mental health courts generally share the following goals: to improve public safety <br />by reducing criminal recidivism; to improve the quality of life of people with SMI's <br />and increase their participation in effective treatment; and to reduce court- and <br />15 <br />