46-1-1204. Mental health treatment court structure. (1) Each judicial district or court of limited jurisdiction may establish a mental health treatment court under which persons with a mental disorder who are charged with a criminal offense may be processed to address an identified mental health problem as a condition of pretrial release, pretrial diversion under 46-16-130, probation, incarceration, parole, or other release from a detention or correctional facility.

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Terms Used In Montana Code 46-1-1204

  • Court: means a place where justice is judicially administered and includes the judge of the court. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Defense attorney: Represent defendants in criminal matters.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Judge: means a person who is vested by law with the power to perform judicial functions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Mental health treatment court: means a court established by a court pursuant to this part implementing a program of incentives and sanctions intended to assist a participant, whose conduct has resulted in a criminal violation, in receiving the needed treatment and life skills to prevent further criminal behavior associated with a mental disorder. See Montana Code 46-1-1203
  • Mental health treatment court coordinator: means an individual who, under the direction of the mental health treatment court judge, is responsible for coordinating the establishment, staffing, operation, evaluation, and integrity of the mental health treatment court. See Montana Code 46-1-1203
  • Mental health treatment court team: means a group of individuals appointed by the mental health treatment court that:

    (a)must include the following members:

    (i)the judge, which may include a magistrate or other hearing officer;

    (ii)the prosecutor;

    (iii)the defense attorney;

    (iv)the participant; and

    (v)the mental health treatment court coordinator; and

    (b)may include the following additional members:

    (i)a law enforcement officer;

    (ii)a probation and parole officer;

    (iii)a mental health professional;

    (iv)a substance abuse treatment provider;

    (v)a representative from the department of public health and human services;

    (vi)a mental health advocate; and

    (vii)any other person selected by the mental health treatment court. See Montana Code 46-1-1203

  • Mental health treatment program: means a program designed by the mental health treatment court team to provide prevention, education, and therapy directed toward ending criminal behavior and preventing a return to a condition leading to criminal behavior. See Montana Code 46-1-1203
  • Offense: means a violation of any penal statute of this state or any ordinance of its political subdivisions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Parole: means the release to the community of a prisoner by a decision of the board of pardons and parole prior to the expiration of the prisoner's term subject to conditions imposed by the board of pardons and parole and the supervision of the department of corrections. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Participant: means a person charged with a criminal offense or an offense in which a mental disorder, as defined in 53-21-102, is determined to have been a significant factor in the commission of the offense. See Montana Code 46-1-1203
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Probation: means release by the court without imprisonment of a defendant found guilty of a crime. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Prosecutor: means an elected or appointed attorney who is vested by law with the power to initiate and carry out criminal proceedings on behalf of the state or a political subdivision. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Sentence: means the judicial disposition of a criminal proceeding upon a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or upon a verdict or finding of guilty. See Montana Code 46-1-202
  • Staff meeting: means the meeting before a participant's appearance in mental health treatment court in which the mental health treatment court team discusses a coordinated response to the participant's behavior. See Montana Code 46-1-1203

(2)Participation in a mental health treatment court is voluntary and is subject to the consent of the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the court pursuant to a written agreement.

(3)A mental health treatment court may grant reasonable incentives under a written agreement. Reasonable incentives may include but are not limited to:

(a)graduation certificates;

(b)early graduation;

(c)fee reduction or waiver of fees;

(d)record expungement of the underlying case; or

(e)reduced contact with a probation officer.

(4)The court may impose reasonable sanctions under the agreement for failure to comply with the agreement. Prior to imposition of a sanction, the mental health treatment court team shall review the participant‘s individual treatment program and the participant’s conduct. If the mental health treatment court team determines that the participant’s failure to comply:

(a)was not willful, was a symptom of a mental disorder, or was a result of an inappropriate treatment plan, the court may impose sanctions, including but not limited to:

(i)fines;

(ii)extension of time in the program;

(iii)peer review; or

(iv)geographical restrictions; or

(b)was willful, not a symptom of a mental disorder, and not the result of an inappropriate treatment plan, the court may impose sanctions, including:

(i)a short-term jail sentence;

(ii)termination of participation in the program; or

(iii)contempt of court.

(5)Upon successful completion of mental health treatment court, a participant’s case must be disposed of by the judge in the manner prescribed by the agreement and by the applicable policies and procedures adopted by the mental health treatment court. This may include but is not limited to pretrial diversion under 46-16-130, dismissal of criminal charges, probation, deferred sentencing, suspended sentencing, or a reduced period of incarceration. A participant who successfully completes the program must be given credit for the time the participant served in the mental health treatment program by the judge upon disposition.

(6)Each local jurisdiction that intends to establish a mental health treatment court or to continue the operation of an existing mental health treatment court shall establish a local mental health treatment court team.

(7)The mental health treatment court team shall, when practicable, conduct a staff meeting prior to each mental health treatment court session to discuss and provide updated information regarding participants. After determining the participant’s progress or lack of progress, the court, with input from the mental health treatment court team, shall determine the appropriate incentive or sanction to be applied. The provisions of this part apply only to persons with a mental disorder who are charged with a criminal offense and who qualify for participation based on qualifications established by each mental health treatment court. The provisions of this part do not apply to participants who have been convicted of a sexual offense, as defined in 46-23-502. This part does not confer a right or expectation of a right to participate in a mental health treatment court and does not obligate a mental health treatment court to accept any offender. The establishment of a mental health treatment court may not be construed as limiting the discretion of a prosecutor to act on any criminal case that the prosecutor considers advisable to prosecute. Each mental health treatment court judge may establish rules and may make special orders and necessary rules that do not conflict with rules adopted by the Montana supreme court.

(8)Each participant shall contribute to the cost of treatment and the program in accordance with 46-1-1212(2). A mental health treatment court coordinator is responsible for the general administration of a mental health treatment court under the direction of the mental health treatment court judge. The supervising agency shall timely forward information to the mental health treatment court concerning the participant’s progress and compliance with any court-imposed terms and conditions.

(9)A department of corrections probation and parole officer may participate in a mental health treatment court team if authorized by the department. The department may authorize participation if it determines, in its discretion, that the caseloads of local probation and parole officers permit participation. If necessitated by a change in caseloads, the department may withdraw authorization for participation by its probation and parole officers in a mental health treatment court. The department of corrections may not authorize its probation and parole officers to supervise a participant of a mental health treatment program who has not been convicted of a felony offense and committed to the supervision of the department.