Lessons from Mental Health Court: Effective Strategies for Criminal Cases Involving Mental Illness

Event Description

The federal government has designated the Ramsey County Mental Health Court as a “National Mentor Court.” Mentor Courts serve as examples for individuals and court teams interested in this model, or for for established courts interested in learning innovative practices. This Robina In Conversation will focus on what works in mental health court and how to achieve better outcomes for individuals with mental illness. We will also discuss ways to eliminate bias as well as ways practitioners in the mainstream courts can develop skills to have success with cases involving mental illness.

We will hear from 4 criminal justice professionals who handle criminal cases with defendants who experience mental illness: Judge Mark Ireland (2nd Judicial District, Ramsey County); Kim Bingham (Attorney, Ramsey County Attorney's Office); Leif Carlson (Public Defender, 2nd Judicial District, Ramsey County); and James Reilly (Probation, Ramsey County). The conversation will be moderated by Robina Institute Practitioner and former Minnesota State Public Defender, John Stuart.