In January 2024, the JCMH started the Mental Health Courts Collaborative. A pilot group of judges who intend to start a mental health court or whose court is less than one year old met monthly on Zoom to learn from mentor judges about starting a MHC, overcoming common obstacles, avoiding legal pitfalls, and serving more people with mental illness who are justice-involved. 

The Mental Health Courts Collaborative ended with a gathering at the Texas Association of Specialty Courts annual conference in Fort Worth in March 2024. The JCMH will check in with the pilot group at 6 and 12 months after the program via Zoom. 

We invite you to take a look back at the progress the JCMH made in 2022-23 in our new Biennial Report to the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. “Mapping Our Progress” provides a panoramic view of the initiatives, programs, and significant achievements that have shaped the path of JCMH toward fostering a more compassionate, responsive, and inclusive judicial system for individuals with mental health challenges or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).