Chairperson: Hon. Kathryn E. Zenoff

Supreme Court Liaison: Hon. Michael J. Burke

The Courts have long recognized their unique position at the vanguard of responding to societal issues, including the intersection of mental health and justice. In 2010, the Supreme Court created the 24-member Committee to advise on issues relating to mental health in the areas of (1) efficient use of available resources, (2) judicial education and training, (3) strategic planning, and (4) consideration of rule amendments.

As one of its initial endeavors, the Court charged the Committee with developing Standards and a Certification process for all problem-solving courts in Illinois. In doing so, the Committee conducted a nationwide study and drafted Standards, which the Court adopted in 2015. In 2018, the Committee focused on updating the Standards to reflect new evidence-based practices and the Court adopted the Revised Standards proposed by the Committee in 2019. As part of the certification process, Committee panel members review each problem-solving court application that is submitted for consideration and collaborate with regard to scoring.

The Committee also routinely reviews proposed legislation pertinent to mental health and submits comments to the Supreme Court Legislative Committee and Amy Bowne. In 2020-21, the Committee reviewed current treatment statutes (the Drug Court Treatment Act, the Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act, and the Mental Health Court Treatment Act) to determine needed amendments. During our review process, we learned that Representative Lindsey La Pointe was sponsoring amendments to these statutes. The Committee, with the approval of Director Meis, worked collaboratively to assure that the legislative amendments corresponded with those recommended by the Committee and reflected the requirements of the statewide standards.

Moving forward, the Committee's agenda now looks even more robust than in the past. Aside from continuous review of problem-solving court applications, the AOIC received a BJA Grant and developed, with the input of stakeholders, a formal curriculum for problem-solving court judges and team members. The Committee is working with the Judicial College to implement training which is anticipated to be released this fall. Furthermore, the Committee has also been presented with additional requests for collaboration on behavioral health issues by the Illinois Mental Health Task Force. Over the coming year, the Committee anticipates reviewing Competency/Unfit to Stand Trial related procedures, Medical Marijuana in problem-solving courts, and other trending topics.

Finally, the Committee is instrumental in developing and presenting seminars at Ed Con on topics relevant to problem-solving court judges and those handling civil commitment proceedings. At present, we are developing a comprehensive series on civil commitment proceedings and treatment as well as advanced directives which is anticipated to be made available through the Judicial College’s Learning Management System this fall.