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On January 11, 2018, the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals held a historic joint hearing to gather input on the need for and the priorities of a statewide judicial commission on mental health. State and tribal judges, law enforcement, veterans, juvenile services experts, psychologists, psychiatrists, and persons with lived experience with these systems, provided valuable insight at the hearing and voiced unqualified support for the creation of a statewide judicial commission.

The Judicial Commission on Mental Health (“the Commission”)  was created by a joint order of the two Courts on February 13, 2018 to develop, implement, and coordinate policy initiatives designed to improve the courts' interaction with—and the administration of justice for—children, adults, and families with mental health needs. On April 11th, the two Courts issued the Order Appointing Judicial Commission on Mental Health. The first meeting will be May 15th in Austin.

Commissioners

Meet the Commissioners

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Collaborative Council & Committees

View the rosters

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Staff

Meet the Staff

Court Orders

Historic Joint Hearing

January 11, 2018

Court Orders

Video & Photos of January 11, 2018 Joint Hearing

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Introduction Text

Hon. Jane Bland

Hon. Jane Bland, Co-Chair

Justice Jane Bland was appointed to the Court by Gov. Greg Abbott in August 2019 and sworn in September 11. Before her appointment to the Court she served as justice on the First Court of Appeals in Houston for 15 years after six years as a Harris Co ...
Hon. Barbara Hervey

Hon. Barbara Hervey, Co-Chair

Judge Barbara Parker Hervey was elected to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in November 2000. A native of New Jersey, Judge Hervey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her J.D. in 1979 f ...
Hon. Bill Boyce

Hon. Bill Boyce, Vice-Chair

Bill Boyce was appointed to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals in December 2007 after practicing law for 18 years as an associate and partner at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. While in private practice he argued more than 60 cases in appellate courts t ...
Camille Cain

Camille Cain

Camille Cain was appointed the Executive Director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department in January of 2018. For almost 30 years, she has focused on improving and innovating government programs and has built policy experience in a broad range of cr ...
Hon. Brent Carr

Hon. Brent Carr

Judge Carr has been the Presiding Judge of the Tarrant County Mental Health Court since 2003, the Presiding Judge of the Tarrant County Veterans Treatment Court, since 2010,  the Presiding Judge of the Tarrant County RISE Program (sex trafficked wome ...
Terry Crocker

Terry Crocker

Terry has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tropical Texas Behavioral Health since 2003. He received his bachelor’s degree from Texas State University, before going on to get his Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Houston Cle ...
Jerry Davis

Jerry Davis

Gerald Davis became President and CEO of Goodwill Central Texas (GCT) in 1998. His career began as an occupational therapist at St. Charles Hospital, in Toledo, Ohio. Over the next twelve years, he served as Vice President, Assistant Professor, Accre ...
Hon. Francisco Dominguez

Hon. Francisco Dominguez

Judge Dominguez is judge of the 205th District Court. He received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and his J.D.from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Dominguez worked in private practice through his own law firm from 2002 until his electi ...
Hon. Camile DuBose

Hon. Camile DuBose

Elected as Judge of the 38th District Court in 2008, Judge DuBose presides over felony criminal, civil and family law dockets in Uvalde and Real counties. Prior to this, Judge DuBose served twelve years as the Associate Judge of the Child Protection ...
JIR Judge John Specia

Hon. John Specia, Jr., Jurist in Residence

Judge John J. Specia, Jr. (Ret.) serves as the JCMH Jurist in Residence (JIR). John Specia’s life-long dedication for more than three decades to public service includes work in civil, family, and juvenile programs with a special commitment to childre ...
Kristi Taylor, Executive Director

Kristi Taylor, Executive Director

Kristi Taylor is an attorney with over 20 years of experience in child and family advocacy and policymaking. She was the first Supreme Court of Texas Staff Attorney for Children, Youth, and Families in 2006 and was instrumental in establishing the Su ...
Jessica Arguijo, Communications Manager

Jessica Arguijo, Communications Manager

Jessica Arguijo joined the Children’s Commission in August 2013 and serves as the communications manager responsible for the execution and delivery of print and digital materials, website development, and social media management. She enjoys aiding th ...
Molly Davis, Staff Attorney

Molly Davis, Staff Attorney

Molly Davis brings juvenile law subject-matter expertise and dedication to working with at-risk youth to the Judicial Commission on Mental Health.  Prior to joining the JCMH team in 2020, she served as a prosecutor in the Tarrant County Criminal Dist ...
Kama Harris, Staff Attorney

Kama Harris, Staff Attorney

Joining the Judicial Commission for Mental Health in 2020, Kama Harris previously worked as a criminal defense lawyer, defending hundreds of adult and juvenile clients at all levels of the Texas criminal justice system. Starting her legal career as a ...
Patrick Passmore, Grant Administrator

Patrick Passmore, Grant Administrator`

Patrick Passmore spent three years with the Supreme Court of Texas Clerk’s Office as a Deputy Clerk before joining the Children’s Commission in October 2015. He joined the Army after high school and was part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Kosovo. P ...
Willette Sedwick, Accountant

Willette Sedwick, Accountant

Willette Sedwick has 13 years with the State of Texas, 12 years in accounting. In November 2020, she joined the accounting team for the Children's Commission and the Judicial Commission for Mental Health. One of the goals Willette hopes to accomplish ...

Collaborative Council

The work of JCMH requires sustained collaboration of dedicated individuals who are committed to creating a legal system that better serves individuals with mental health challenges. The Collaborative Council is composed of interested stakeholders and advocates from across Texas to inform the JCMH on important matters when considering projects and policy. 

Bench Book Committee

The Texas Mental Health and Intellectual and Development Disabilities Law Bench Book is a procedural guide for Texas judges hearing cases regarding persons with mental illness and/or IDD, developed by the JCMH and numerous contributing authors and ed ...

Curriculum Committee

Committee Members:  Hon. Mark AllenJudge, Jasper County David AronofskyProfessor, American Law Institute Hon. Brent CarrJudge, Tarrant County, Criminal Court No. 9 Dr. Tony FabeloSenior Fellow for Justice Policy, Meadows Mental Health Policy In ...

Juvenile Bench Book Committee

The Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book is a procedural guide for Texas juvenile judges hearing cases regarding children with mental illness and/or IDD, developed by the JCMH and numerous contri ...