Warren County will host the seventh and final regional summit focused on mental and behavioral health issues across the state.

State Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dougherty announced the regional summits Tuesday aimed at addressing issues within the court system. Warren’s summit will be held Dec. 3 at the Struthers Library Theatre.

“Courts across Pennsylvania are seeing the growing impact of mental and behavioral health issues on the individuals who appear before us,” said Dougherty.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in addressing behavioral health issues is breaking down silos that prevent people from getting care and support they need. Effective and holistic problem solving cannot be done alone, and collaboration is essential to improve access to care and quality of life for Pennsylvanians affected by serious mental illness and other behavioral health concerns. These regional summits will give us a chance to come together as partners to ensure our responses are more informed, compassionate and effective. “In the end, all of Pennsylvania will benefit and our communities will be stronger.”

Spearheaded by Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, these events are part of the Court’s Behavioral Health in the Courts initiative to strengthen partnerships between the judiciary, system partners, behavioral health providers and community stakeholders to improve outcomes for individuals with mental and behavioral health challenges who come into contact with the justice system.

The summits will bring together judges, court staff, behavioral health professionals, county officials, law enforcement and others working at the intersection of justice and behavioral health. The goal is to share best practices, address challenges, and continue building a coordinated approach that prioritizes treatment and support over unnecessary court involvement and incarceration.

The Behavioral Health in the Courts initiative supports court-led strategies to better connect individuals with services and reduce the cycle of crisis, arrest and recidivism. The regional summits will focus on practical strategies for collaboration, diversion programs, crisis response, and access to person-centered care and come after an October 2024 statewide summit held in Hershey.

In 2023, 67% of all discharged participants statewide graduated successfully from treatment programs and among those graduates, there was a 92% increase in employment. Pennsylvania’s first drug court opened in Philadelphia in 1997. Since that time, the treatment court movement in the commonwealth has expanded to include, among others, driving under the influence courts, juvenile drug courts, veterans courts and mental health courts. Currently more than 137 treatment courts are operational across the state, assisting those with substance use disorders, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorders reach and maintain a recovery-oriented lifestyle, thereby increasing recovery capital in their communities.

Warren County has offered a hybrid drug/DUI court since 2010, but does not offer many of the other courts offered in some other counties, including adult mental health court, veterans courts. Cases that end up in Warren County’s hybrid Drug/DUI Court tend to skew toward alcohol – though the presence of opioids has grown in recent years.

“These courts are a critical part of the judicial system, and recognize that for many people, the underlying criminal intent is inextricably intertwined with other challenges, all which call for both accountability and treatment,” said Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice P. Kevin Brobson recently. “By combining accountability with compassion, treatment courts are changing and saving lives while strengthening communities in the process.”