Mental Health Court

The Kootenai County Mental Health Court (MHC) is a voluntary post-conviction program for offenders who are mentally ill and have not been successful in their compliance with treatment.  The program consists of: intensive supervision of clients by a mental health probation officer, frequent appearances before the MHC judge, mandatory mental health counseling, regular attendance at group counseling sessions, as well as attendance at substance abuse classes and frequent and random drug and alcohol testing. The entire program length, which is determined by the participant's progress, will not be less than eighteen(18) months. After graduation from the MHC program, each client will remain on supervised probation for six (6) months, and then be moved to unsupervised probation for six (6) months.

The Kootenai County Mental Health Court held its’ first court session in September 2004. Judge John T. Mitchell presided over the program until the end of September 2024, when he passed the gavel to The Honorable Mayli A. Walsh.  

This is a team-based court, so decisions are made by a team of trained professionals, with final discretion given to the Mental Health Court Judge.  

Mission Statement

The Mental Health Court in Kootenai County helps its participants transform their lives by changing their criminal behavior, and addressing their mental health, addiction and past trauma.   The Mental Health Court in Kootenai County helps its participants transform their lives by changing their criminal behavior, and addressing their mental health, addiction and past trauma.   

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to participate in the MHC program, a person must:

• Have pled guilty to or been found guilty of a felony criminal offense, be placed on supervised probation, and have a minimum of two years left on your supervised probation;
• Have a current, qualifying SEVERE AND PERSISTENT MENTAL ILLNESS (SPMI), and need ACT Level Services. Examples of these are Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Major Depression-Recurrent and Severe;
• Be able to read, write and understand the information given to you;
• Agree to the rules and conditions of the program, sign the necessary releases of information, and agree to maintain complete confidentiality for the program; and
• Be a resident of Kootenai County while they are enrolled in the program.

You will be excluded from the program if you are required to Register as a Sex Offender. (Idaho Code 19-5604)

Accessing the Mental Health Court Program

Referral into the MHC program is made by a defense attorney, the prosecutor, the judge, probation officer, the jail, or a mental health professional. The referral form can be accessed here Accessing the Mental Health Court Program Accessing the Mental Health Court Program and needs to be filled out completely and emailed to txcourtreferrals@kootenai.idcourts.gov. This is the first step in the application process. 

Once your initial screening is complete, and all pertinent mental health records have been received by the MHC Coordinator, your criminal history will be reviewed. If there is nothing in your criminal history that precludes you from the program, then you will be scheduled for a Mental Health Evaluation with one of our team’s Mental Health Clinicians.  They will make the determination on whether you meet clinical criteria for the program.   It is important to note that you must have a mental health evaluation done by our clinicians to determine eligibility.  Your attorney, the prosecutor and your assigned Judge will be notified of your acceptance or denial by the MHC Coordinator. The screening process typically takes 30-45 days. 

IF YOU ARE SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS STRUGGLING OR IN CRISIS, HELP IS AVAILABLE 24/7- CALL OR TEXT 988