Mental Health Court

The Mental Health Court (MHC) is a dedicated court, with an assigned presiding judge, mental health professional, and probation staff with mental health expertise, prosecutor and public defender.

Mental Health Court is a voluntary program. Referrals come from judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, jail staff, and others. Please contact Judy Ashley, judya@smh.org, for more information if you are interested in making a referral. Please attach the referral form (Click here) to any request. The Release of Information form (below) is for illustrative purposes and does not need to be attached to a referral request.

The key issue for the MHC is whether the alleged criminal activity is related to or caused by mental illness. MHC defendants may have any type of charge, except Driving Under the Influence, presently excluded because of the way in which those sentencing obligations are currently supervised. They may have any type of serious mental illness, be developmentally disabled, have a brain injury, or suffer from dementia. The defendant may be a first time offender or have a lengthy record.

Mental Health Court is held in the Seattle Justice Center Courtroom 902 600 Fifth Avenue Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 684-5600 View Map	The Mental Health Court Team (click to enlarge)
Mental Health Court Evaluation Report Overview and Goals Link to Crisis Clinic 2009 1st Qtr Performance Report Other Community Initiatives

Do you want to know more?  

Do you have questions or comments about Seattle's Mental Health Court? Do you have comments about the Mental Health Court Web Page? You can ask your question locally or in a National Forum.

To ask a question or send a comment directly to Seattle Municiapl Court's Mental Health Court Program, please  email us.

To have your question answered in a national forum, with the question and answer displayed for other interested parties, visit "The Consensus Project".
NOTE: Registration or Login and Password required.

Need to get in touch with any of the Seattle area Mental Health Court Teams?

• Seattle Municipal Court Mental Health Court Team Contact List    
• King County District Court Mental Health Court Team Contact List   
• King County Superior Court Drug Court Team Contact List    

Forms Of The Seattle Municipal Court Mental Health Court

For more information about using these forms, email the Mental Health Court Liaison.

Referral Form: Please attach this form for any referral you request. Referral requests may be made to Judy Ashley (Judya@smh.org), the Mental Health Court Liaison. You may also fax this form to Judy Ashley at 206-386-1272.

Release of Information: The Release of Information form is for illustrative purposes and does not need to be attached to a referral request.