The city of Tuscaloosa, Ala., is moving forward on the development of a mental health court, thanks to funding from the Justice Department, FOX affiliate WBRC reported Nov. 6.
The city received nearly $250,000 to fund staff positions for a social worker and clinical therapist, as well as other resources for the mental health court. The body will operate out of the city’s municipal court and will serve as an opportunity to divert offenders with mental health needs away from the prison system to receive the services they need.
The U.S. government requires a year’s worth of planning to demonstrate how the mental health court will operate and sustain itself after the grant money runs out in three years, the report said.