Mental Health Courts are a type of specialty court treatment program that connects defendants with long-term community-based treatment. The courts use assessments, individualized treatment plans, and judicial monitoring to address both the mental health needs of individuals and public safety concerns of the local community. JCMH assists counties with creating, expanding, and improving local mental health courts and dockets. Assistance includes guidance, training, grant opportunities and connections with mentor courts.
Texas Government Code Chapter 125 sets out the statutorily required characteristics for Mental Health Court Programs as:
While Texas has about 235 identified specialty courts, there are only about 23 counties with a recognized mental health court program (some counties have more than one program) per the active court list provided by the Office of Court Administration (as of February 23, 2023). Some court programs (or special dockets) may not be recognized as a Mental Health Court due to program's failure to meet the statutory requirements or failure to register the court with OCA.
|
County/Court Name |
Court Type |
County Population |
1 |
Bexar County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
2,009,324 |
1 |
Bexar County Felony Co-Occurring Disorder Court (CORE) |
Mental Health Court |
2,009,324 |
2 |
Bowie County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
92,893 |
3 |
Cameron County Mental Health Divert/AOT Court |
Mental Health Court |
421,017 |
4 |
Collin County Mental Health Specialty Court |
Mental Health Court |
1,158,696 |
4 |
Collin County Juvenile Mental Health Intervention Program (JMHIP) |
Juvenile Court |
1,158,696 |
5 |
Comal County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
1,072,069 |
6 |
Dallas County Competency Court |
Mental Health Court |
2,613,539 |
6 |
Dallas County Mental Health Diversion Court |
Mental Health Court |
2,613,539 |
6 |
Dallas County Dual Diagnosis Aftercare |
Mental Health Court |
2,613,539 |
6 |
Dallas County Juvenile Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
2,613,539 |
7 |
SOAR, Denton County Juvenile Mental Health Court |
Juvenile Court |
906,422 |
8 |
El Paso County Project Hope – Juvenile Mental Health Court |
Juvenile Court |
865,657 |
9 |
Fannin County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
35,662 |
10 |
Fort Bend County Mental Health Docket |
Mental Health Court |
822,779 |
10 |
Fort Bend Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
822,779 |
10 |
Fort Bend County Juvenile Intervention and Mental Health |
Juvenile Court |
822,779 |
11 |
Harris County Felony Mental Health Court – Co-Occurring Disorders |
Mental Health Court |
4,731,145 |
11 |
Harris County Felony Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
4,731,145 |
11 |
Harris County Court 360 |
Mental Health Court |
4,731,145 |
12 |
Hays County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
241,067 |
13 |
Hidalgo County LIFELINES Girls Juvenile Mental Health Court |
Juvenile Court |
870,781 |
13 |
Hidalgo County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
870,781 |
14 |
Jefferson County Juvenile Mental Health Court |
Juvenile Court |
256,526 |
15 |
Kaufman County 422nd Drug and Mental Health Court |
Drug Court |
145,310 |
16 |
McLennan Co. Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
260,579 |
17 |
Medina County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
50,748 |
18 |
Midland County Mental Health Court |
Mental Health Court |
169,983 |
19 |
Montgomery County Mental Health Treatment Court |
Mental Health Court |
620,443 |
20 |
Tarrant County Mental Health Diversion Court |
Mental Health Court |
2,110,640 |
21 |
Travis County Mental Health Diversion Court |
Mental Health Court |
1,290,188 |
22 |
Val Verde Juvenile/Mental Health Hybrid Specialty Court |
Juvenile Court |
47,586 |
22 |
Val Verde Mental Health Specialty Court |
Mental Health Court |
47,586 |
23 |
Uvalde County 38th District Specialty Court |
Mental Health Court |
24,564 |
Specialty court programs (including Mental Health Courts) should be registered with the Office of Court Administration. Under section 121.002 of the Texas Government Code, registration includes:
Find more information about registering specialty courts here.
Considering whether or not to create a Mental Health Court (MHC) program in your community? JCMH's 10-Step Guide is a quick reference filled with links to resources to help create a Texas MHC program in your community. JCMH also provides consultations to discuss methods for moving forward with creating a MHC program or expanding an existing program.
There are various resources for Mental Health Courts, and even more resources available for specialty courts in general. Inclusion of the following external links are not an endorsement by the JCMH of the content of the websites, or of their policies, services or opinions of the organization or individual. These websites are helpful resources for judges and attorneys handling cases regarding persons with mental illness and/or IDD and are intended for reference use only.
The mission of the Judicial Commission on Mental Health is to engage and empower court systems through collaboration, education, and leadership, thereby improving the lives of individuals with mental health needs, substance use disorders, or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While we recognize and understand you or a loved one may be facing mental health struggles, the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health does not provide legal advice and cannot make any referrals to, or promote any provider of, mental health services. We encourage individuals who are seeking legal counsel to contact the State Bar, and individuals who are seeking mental health services to contact your Local Mental Health Authority.