Grayson County
Grayson County Community Diversion Coordinator
Elizabeth Groves
“As of 12/20/2023, the Mental Health Diversion Program has officially implemented court ordered psychoactive medications for individuals incarcerated, who have been found incompetent to stand trial, and who have been ordered for commitment or placed on the State Hospital Waitlist. This program has emphasized the development of a more ethical and humane approach to supporting individuals intersecting with the judicial system. It has provided community education. It has reduced the total number of days most individuals remain incarcerated. There has been an impact in Grayson County, and it truly has been a positive one.”
Grayson County Successes
- Expanded Mental Health Dockets held in the 59th District Court to monthly
- Misdemeanor Mental Health Dockets in the County Court at Law 1, Biweekly (non-filed Zoom hearings held at 9:00 a.m. / In-Person hearings held at 10:30 a.m. / Monday & Friday)
- Mental Health Assessments completed during initial booking to screen for Early Identification of Mental Illness (report submitted to attorneys, court, probation, LMHA, Jail Medical, Jail Administration)
- Grant submitted and approved to / by the Texas Indigent Defense Counsel for implementation of a Managed Assigned Counsel Office (efforts to provide administrative assistance to all court appointed attorneys / streamline indigent defense / identify attorneys skilled in working with individuals with MH / IDD / SUD (MAC initiative began with exclusively looking at how to provide more comprehensive representation to individuals with special needs, but expanded to include all populations requiring court appointed / indigent defense attorneys
- Coordinated Release Process – for individuals releasing on personal bonds with mental health conditions, individuals entering a plea to be placed on probation, individuals who ‘time-serve”
- Jail Diversion Center Committee created after a Jail Diversion Center was identified as a priority during the Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Workshop
- Jail Based Competency Restoration Program has been approved by HHSC, to be implemented through our local mental health authority, with an interdisciplinary team approach for referrals into program, directed by the District Court’s Mental Health Docket, Monthly
- Elevation of general understanding regarding the mental health crisis amongst those incarcerated through various community education luncheons, community presentations at the Grayson County Bar Association, the SIM Workshop, newspaper articles, appearances at Commissioner’s Court, etc.
"It was an amazing day and a half—a springboard to the future." Sheriff Tom Watt, Grayson County
The JCMH put on a SIM Mapping workshop in Grayson County on June 9 - 10, 2022. The workshop was facilitated by Founder of Lynfro Consulting, Lynda Frost, and Managing Partner of D-Degree Coaching and Training, Doug Smith.
The workshop was hosted by 59th District Court Judge Larry Phillips, Grayson County Court at Law No. 1 Judge James Henderson, Grayson County Community Diversion Coordinator Elizabeth Groves, and Texoma Community Center CEO Dr. Diana Cantu.
Local media outlet, kxii.com, shared the story of the workshop with the community on the evening of first day of the workshop.