Mental Health Court celebrates fifth anniversary

HIBBING—A ceremony took place this week to celebrate the success experienced by Sixth District Mental Health Treatment Court since it was introduced five years ago.

“We are so excited to celebrate this milestone with the community,” Sixth Judicial District Assistant Chief Judge Rachel C. Sullivan is quoted in a news release.

In 2019, the Northern St. Louis County Mental Health Treatment Court received formal sanctioning by the State of Minnesota and secured funding through the Department of Human Services. More importantly, the district established a multidisciplinary team—probation officers, law enforcement, treatment specialists, attorneys, case managers, peer support volunteers—without whom the program never would have been possible.

There are four Mental Health Treatment Courts in Minnesota and two are located within the Sixth District.

At the ceremony on Tuesday Sullivan along with team members Virginia Deputy Chief Chad Nickila, Branden Mattson, provider from Partners in Recovery, Tiffany Jenner, Team Lead and Peer Recovery Specialist with Recovery Alliance Duluth, and Dr. Jacqueline Buffington, Professor and Program Evaluator shared their experiences of the past five years.

“Thank you for your volunteerism,” Sullivan told the team members assembled in the jury box of the courtroom, representing law enforcement, probation officers, recovery experts and others.

Sullivan provided a background, adding that access to treatment court was a top priority for Judge Sally Tarnowski.

Buffington said 29 people have graduated from Mental Health Court since its start in 2019, and shared some statistics.

Compared to one year before the program there was an 87% decrease in convictions, an 82% reduction in felony convictions, and of the 29 graduates, there were 23 with no new convictions during and one year after, according to Buffington.

Jail days served dropped from 1,358 to 36, or a 98% decrease in that same timeframe. At $140 to $150 per day, per person, jail time costs decreased from around $200,000 per year to less than $5,000 per year for all 29 individuals.

Jenner shared her experience as a team member for Mental Health Court describing it as, “really full circle—most importantly turning your pain into purpose.”

“Your team has amazing people,” Jenner said.

Aside from her kids, Jenner said the court has provided her greatest joys in life, adding that she looks forward to serving on the team that meets twice a week.

Two Mental Health Court graduates, Marie Larson and Ashley Kemi shared their personal stories at the ceremony.

Marie, now 27 said her struggles with addiction began at 13, adding she was, “very chaotic and lost” for a majority of her life.

“Mental Health Court has provided my first sense of stability that I had in a very long time,” she said.

Now 15 months sober, Larson said she has her own apartment and remains employed.

Having this opportunity, she said, “Has changed my life.”

The team from mental health court, including social workers have helped with securing housing, transportation and have helped her to rebuild trust.

Kemi, now 2.5 years sober, told of her struggles with addiction and how mental health court turned things around.

When she first learned of Mental Health Court, Kemi acknowledged she was “iffy,” and didn’t know what to expect.

Since graduating Mental Health Court Kemi said she’s regained custody of her child and secured housing and regained confidence in herself.

Judge Sullivan smiled as she heard Larson and Kemi talk, and after commented on the confidence the two displayed.

“Continue to believe in yourself and in your self worth,” she told them.

Nickila joined the Mental Health Court team four years ago, and admitted he was a bit skeptical wasn’t sure what to think of the program as an alternative (to standard treatment and/or jail time).

“I can’t really complain unless I take a seat at the table,” Nickila recalled telling himself.

Nickila recalled when the program was just getting started, COVID hit and everything need to be reconfigured.

In his presentation Nickila told the story of a client who, at first, was reluctant to participate in the program when he learned “a cop” was involved.

Through the Virginia P.D. Shop with a Cop program, Nickila took the client’s son shopping for gifts during the holiday.

Nickila went on to say that the man reported to him that his son “said great things about you.”

“Small things like that change perceptions,” Nickila said.

Nickila said the client and his son remain in touch, calling him about every six months.

Mattsen said he finds joy in the victories shared by participants: one year of recovery, getting a driver’s license, getting their first Social Security Card, getting a birth certificate.

“We take a lot of those things for granted,” Mattsen said.

Mental Health Treatment Court is a voluntary 15-to-18-month program in which a judge leads a multidisciplinary team of professionals to collaboratively assist the offender with an array of services—from emergency financial assistance, to chemical dependency and mental health/trauma counseling, to employment training assistance and temporary housing. Participants may be removed from the program if they do not comply with program requirements or if they reoffend while in treatment.

“The program is far from easy,” Judge Sullivan said. “Although we focus on holistic treatment, we absolutely hold participants accountable. The goal is treatment so that they do not reoffend.”