Porter County Judge Christopher Buckley believes in the power of second chances, and he shows this every day as the presiding judge for Porter County’s Mental Health Restoration Court.
As a part of one of several problem-solving courts in Porter County, Buckley has seen the influence this work can do first-hand.
“I learned about problem-solving courts as an town judge in a truancy court,” said Buckley. “We quickly learned that truancy is rarely an isolated problem. There are underlying factors and things that were interconnected.”
Problem-solving courts work differently than traditional courts to benefit both the accused and the legal system.
The accused benefits from wraparound services that support the hidden causes of the criminal behavior. The community benefits from expedited legal cases that result in fewer repeat offenders.
“There are three different pathways that lead into problem-solving courts,” said Buckley. “The most popular way is through what we call a deferral of prosecution.”
In this scenario, the prosecutor agrees that wraparound services such as therapy, drug retreatment, or other means would be beneficial to address the crime without endangering the public.
“If the person completes the assigned program, their charges are dismissed,” said Buckley. “If they do not complete the program, they go back to their original court for a sentence to be imposed.”
Buckley doesn’t just believe these types of courts work. He has seen the evidence firsthand.
“In traditional criminal courts, there are a lot of repeat customers,” said Buckley. “In Indiana, Problem Solving Courts take recidivism from approximately 74% down to 29%. That's huge. It shows we’re doing something right.”
Porter County’s Mental Health Restoration Court adheres to a specific format.
“What we're looking for in this program are people who have a primary mental health diagnosis,” said Buckley. “Incidents where mental health is in some ways a significant contributing factor for criminal behavior.”
Although participants in the Mental Health Court have varied requirements in their plan, some elements remain true for all.
“First, there is a requirement for a mental health assessment,” said Buckley. “Then based on that assessment, they must follow any recommended treatment. This could include talk therapy, medication, or group therapy for example.”
Additionally, all participants must agree to regular and random drug tests.
“Some studies have shown that the mental health population has a much higher probability of substance abuse than the general population–upwards of 70%,” said Buckley. “We've found in this program that when you're dealing with a mental health issue, you're very often dealing with a substance use issue as well. The plan has to treat those things concurrently.”
Buckley believes so much in this work that he was recently selected as the Chair of Indiana’s Problem Solving Court Committee for the term 2023-2024.
“It's a huge responsibility and honor to have a voice and attempt to shape policy for problem-solving courts at the state level,” said Buckley. “As more and more evidence is collected, we learn things about how these courts work and what motivates these populations.” “The goal of the Committee is to implement these findings into the standard operations of the problem solving courts.”
Today Porter County has additional problem-solving courts for veteran treatment, drug use, and truancy court. Officials are also working to create a mental health court specifically for juveniles.
“Things have changed dramatically since the start of Porter County’s drug court–the oldest type of problem-solving courts and the first in Porter County,” said Buckley. “I am constantly learning because as a problem-solving court judge, you have to adapt your practices to what the evidence is showing.”
To learn more about Porter County Government, please visit porterco.org.
