Quick Facts
| For a printable version of the following information CLICK HERE >> |
Participants in the Mental Health Court Program are expected to: |
The Mental Health Court Program
sits most Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. in
Courtroom #5 at the Provincial Court in Dartmouth,
277 Pleasant St. |
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| ~ | Acknowledge or plead guilty to your charge(s); | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Have a qualifying mental health disorder that is clearly related to your charge(s); | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Attend Court on a regular basis (sometimes weekly); | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Attend all professional appointments; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Take all medications prescribed by treatment provider(s); | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Abstain from drugs and/or alcohol use, if required, and submit to substance-use testing; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Not drive for at least one (1) year if the offence(s) are driving related; and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ~ | Be involved in the Court Program for at least one (1) year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Applicants whose sole diagnosis is substance-related will not be considered, nor will applicants whose only diagnosis falls within the spectrum of paraphilic disorders (e.g., pedophilia or exhibitionism). The program may consider individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders or brain injury on a case-by-case basis. The program may review other cases where there is a diagnosable mental disorder that does not clearly fit the above criteria (e.g. personality disorders or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). However, these cases will only be reviewed under exceptional circumstances where there is a clear nexus to the offending and reasonable expectation that the intervention of the Mental Health Court will be of benefit. Individuals whose sole diagnosis is Antisocial Personality Disorder will not be considered. In all cases, an applicant’s acceptance to the Mental Health Court Program will be considered with respect to the program’s ability to support the individual in the community. Crown Attorney Consent
Crown attorney consent is separate from the eligibility criteria. There are times when, notwithstanding the fact that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for the Court, the Crown attorney may not provide consent. Some factors the Crown may consider are as follows:
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MENTAL HEALTH COURT PROGRAM POLICIES
MENTAL HEALTH COURT PROGRAM FORMS
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Re-Application to the Mental Health Court Program
| For a printable version of the following information CLICK HERE >> |
Any adult (18 years or older) may make an application to the Mental Health Court Program if he or she resides in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). This is to ensure the
Program’s clinicians can do wellness checks at the client’s
home, should there be an urgent need to do so. Applicants must also
have a substantial connection to the HRM, which must include, but is not limited
to, working or attending school in the area, and their mental health support
persons and programs must be within the municipal boundaries.
The offence(s) an applicant is charged with must be within the jurisdiction of the Provincial Court. An applicant will be prohibited from making a further application to the Program on the same set of charges that were previously dealt with by the Program, except in special circumstances where additional significant and new information is available and presented through the applicant’s counsel.
Former applicants and participants that make application within one year of completing their involvement with the Program will be required, through their counsel, to provide information to the Court in support of a further application.
If a former applicant or participant has not had any involvement with the Program for more than a year, then the application process will proceed in the normal course.
In all cases, the final decision of admissibility to the Mental Health Court Program rests with the team and requires the consent of the Crown attorney.
Support for Veterans
| For a printable version of the following information CLICK HERE >> |  |
An eligible Veteran participant is any former member of the Canadian Armed Forces (including reserve force) or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who is 18 years of age and older. The Veteran participant must meet the eligibility criteria of the Mental Health Court Program as indicated below: |
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Charged with a criminal offence within the jurisdiction of the Provincial Court; |
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Participants must acknowledge responsibility for the act or omission that forms the basis of the offence(s) they are alleged to have committed; |
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Must have a qualifying mental health disorder/operational stress injury that is substantially connected to the commission of the offence; |
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Must have a substantial connection to the Halifax Regional Municipality, defined as having been previously posted to, working, or attending school in the area; or residing in the Halifax Regional Municipality; and have any mental health supports persons or programs within the municipal boundaries; |
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Must we willing to receive case management services from Veterans Affairs Canada; and |
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Must have the consent of the Crown Attorney in the Mental Health Court. |
Veteran referrals will occur through the normal Mental Health Court referral process and may involve either a Veteran who is an existing client of Veterans Affairs Canada or, as a result of the referral to the Mental Health Court, will be referred to Veterans Affairs Canada for case management services.
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Services for Mi'kmaq and Aboriginal People
Both the Mental Health Court Program and the Opioid Court Program at the Dartmouth Wellness Court partner with the Mi'kmaq Legal Support Network (MLSN) to ensure the cultural and other unique needs of their Aboriginal participants are considered throughout the court process. The broader court team for all the programs includes a dedicated Court Worker from MLSN who oversees this work. TO THE LEFT: Shannon Mooney, a case worker with the Mi'kmaw Legal Support Network in the Halifax Regional Municipality, presents Chief Judge Pamela Williams with a traditional Mi'kmaq talking stick, created by a graduate of the Dartmouth Wellness Court. |
Client Feedback Welcomed
The Mental Health Court Program team wants to hear from program participants about their experiences with the Dartmouth Wellness Court. There are links to two different surveys below; one covers participants' interaction with the Court screening process, which takes about five minutes to complete. The other has to do with participants' experience in the court program itself, which takes about 15 minutes. Completing either or both of these surveys is voluntary. Not taking the surveys will have no effect on the participant's care. Survey answers are anonymous and confidential.
| You can complete the surveys online on the Nova Scotia Health Authority's website(on the last page of both surveys, when you click "DONE", it will be automatically sent to the Health Authority). | CLIENT'S SCREENING EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> CLIENT'S COURT EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> |
| You can complete the surveys on your computer (MS Word) and then save, print, and mail them to the Nova Scotia Health Authority (the mailing address is included on last page). | CLIENT'S SCREENING EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> CLIENT'S COURT EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> |
| You can print the surveys and fill them out by hand and then mail them to the Nova Scotia Health Authority (the mailing address is included on last page). |
CLIENT'S SCREENING EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> CLIENT'S COURT EXPERIENCE SURVEY >> |
There is a similar Mental Health Court Program operating
in Kentville that serves There is also a Court Monitored Drug Treatment Program in Kentville. |