NEW ALBANY — Southern Indiana judges and other officials came together for a panel discussion to explore the role of the court system in navigating situations involving people with severe mental illness.
Clark & Floyd System of Care presented “The Golden Thread of Hope” discussion Friday at The Calumet Club in New Albany to discuss ways the community can support those struggling with mental illness.
The panel included four local judges, including Floyd Superior Court 1 Judge Carrie Stiller and Clark Circuit Court judges Nicholas Karaffa, Lisa Glickfield and Lisa Reger.
It also included Floyd County Magistrate Julie Fessel-Flanigan, Floyd County Sheriff Steve Bush and LifeSpring Health Systems CEO Beth Keeney.
Teah Williams-Hampton, a licensed clinical social worker, moderated the conversation. She asked the panel how they “weigh the best course of action” when someone with a severe mental illness comes before the court or is in crisis.
She mentioned schizophrenia, bipolar disorder with psychosis and untreated PTSD as examples of severe mental illness.
Glickfield, the judge for Clark Circuit Court 3, said she immediately seeks to look at individuals “with understanding and empathy” when they come before her court in Clark County.
“And I think that’s one of the most important things that we can do as judicial officers,” she said.
These individuals often have been in a mental health treatment facility or the hospital’s behavioral unit where “something has triggered them, and they have acted out,” she said.
“So the first thing I try to do is make sure that they remain calm and they understand that my role — yes, I am a judge — but I am also there trying to help them,” Glickfield said.
She noted that LifeSpring offers mental health services in the Clark County Jail, and the agency will provide guidance. Wellstone also works with the court system to schedule assessments.
“The first thing I want to know is, is this individual a risk to themselves?” Glickfield said. “Are they a risk to the community, and what kind of services do they need? Now, they’re here on a criminal charge, but to be perfectly honest, that’s the last thing on my mind.”
Glickfield’s goal is to bring an Assisted Outpatient Treatment program to Clark County. This is a court-ordered program for people with serious mental illness involving community-based mental health services.
“And so I am on a mission to start an AOT program here in Clark County, Indiana, and work with all of our community service providers and help these individuals so that they may have better outcomes and futures for themselves and stay out of the criminal justice system,” Glickfield said.
Stiller said after an initial hearing, she will make a referral to the jail’s mental health social worker if needed.
“That’s something that not every county has,” she said. “Sheriffs don’t have to do this, but this is something that I think is incredibly beneficial to us that we have this, because that’s really a starting point.”
Stiller, who also chairs the Floyd County Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council, presides over the major felony court in Floyd County, said she sees “quite a great deal” of people with serious mental illness in the courtroom.
She said judges need to be “leaders in this” and collaborate to “really combat this from every angle.”
“There’s just such a great need and so many different needs,” Stiller said.
Reger, the Clark Circuit Court 4 judge, said the judges represented at the panel discussion are “committed to being fair, but also compassionate.” She and Karaffa handle high-level offenses in Clark County.
“I think the thing we need to consider most is the safety of the public,” she said. “That has to be a priority for us in the role that we’re in. There are other people out here that have different roles, but we have to balance that with what resources are available.”
Although the area has “some amazing resources available, there’s still not enough to meet the immediate needs of the people that we see,” she said.
Keeney said that “while we don’t want anybody in jail who doesn’t need to be there, sometimes it’s OK if somebody’s there” for a time. She said it can be a time to understand whether they are facing a psychotic disorder or other serious mental illness or whether their behavior is related to substance use, and LifeSpring can provide treatment during this period.
“They sit in jail, and the sheriff will refer them to us, and then we can get them started on medication,” she said. “And then we can get them a little bit clearer and see how they’re going to function in society.”
“I think it’s really important for all of us to have compassion for people who have illnesses that none of them chose, but the consequences of those illnesses and some of the behaviors that come along with that still have to be addressed by society.”
Keeney said that “we all want the same thing.”
“We want a safe community for our kids,” she said. “We want our loved ones to have access to care when they need it. And I think that’s the beauty of the systems integration that we see in Southern Indiana, is that even though we have different mechanisms and different limitations, ultimately we’re all united around making sure people have what they need.”
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