In this episode, we are joined by Jonathan Lemuel, the Director of Forensic Services at Bluebonnet Trails Community Services. He tells us about BBTCS's Outpatient Competency Restoration program, which helps defendants who are found incompetent to stand trial achieve the ability to participate in their own defense in a community-based setting. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Dis...
Aug 01, 2025•38 min
In this episode, we are joined by Hon. Oscar Kazen, the Presiding Judge of Bexar County Probate Court 1. He tells us about his AOT Court, which provides outpatient treatment under civil court order to individuals with severe mental illness. Judge Kazen's court was the first fully operational civil AOT court in Texas. AOT resources mentioned in this episode can be found on the JCMH website under "Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)". If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to s...
Jul 04, 2025•40 min
In this episode, we are joined by Anne Jackson, a Bell County prosecutor and founding member of the Bell County Autism Intervention Team, and Tres Jackson, Anne's adult son with autism and an Autism Ambassador. They tell us the Bell County Autism Intervention Team (BAIT), a group made up of family members, professionals, and individuals on the Autism Spectrum (ASD) themselves who work to train first responders to recognize the signs of ASD, empower families to implement an appropriate response, ...
Jun 06, 2025•35 min
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Connie Almeida, the Director of the Fort Bend County Behavioral Health Services Department. She tells us about Always Parenting, a second chance program that assists individuals currently incarcerated (or have been in the last 6 months) at the Fort Bend County Jail and have minor children. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The vie...
May 02, 2025•32 min
In this episode, we are joined by Jim Bethke, Executive Director of the Bexar Counsel Managed Assigned Counsel Office , and Katy Jo Muncie, Deputy Director and Director of Defense Services and Outreach at the Capital Area Private Defender Service in Travis County. They tell us about the Managed Assigned Counsel model, which is the assignment of qualified attorneys to represent criminally-accused indigent people. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, em...
Apr 11, 2025•55 min
In this episode, we are joined by a record-breaking five guests! Our guests include Grayson County Court Liaison Elizabeth Groves, Judge James Henderson, and Judge Larry Phillips, and Denton County Court Liaison Alessia Dal Monte and Judge Chance Oliver. They tell us about the JCMH-grant funded Court Liaison Pilot Program. The goal of the pilot is to minimize waitlist times by creating a court staff position focused on developing innovative pathways and quicker options to prevent decompensation ...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 14 min
In this episode, we are joined by Keisha Morris, the Chief SIM Officer at the Andrews Center Behavioral Healthcare System. She tells us about her unique position, which was created to ensure Smith County followed up on the priorities identified by stakeholders during the JCMH-led SIM Mapping in 2022. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions ...
Feb 07, 2025•29 min
In this episode, we are joined by Capt. Sarah Bigham, the Chief of Staff for the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, and Amberlee Conley, the Chief Operations Officer at Texoma Community Center. They tell us about the implementation of jail-based competency restoration program in Grayson County, which provides competency restoration services in a designated space in a jail separate from general population. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@...
Jan 17, 2025•36 min
In this episode, we are joined by Yvonne Mboss, a Clinical Case Manager Supervisor, and Jennifer Sowinski, a Clinical Operations Manager, of the Downtown Austin Community Court. They tell us about DACC, a problem-solving court established in 1999, and its different programs. The mission of DACC is to empower people to thrive by providing impartial justice and compassionate community-based services. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcou...
Dec 06, 2024•36 min
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion suicide and mentions child sexual assault. Some listeners may want to skip this episode and catch up with us for the next one. In this episode, we are joined by Dustin Schellenger, the State Director for the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network. He tells us about the TLEPN, a state-wide program designed to give every Texas Law Enforcement Officer access to specially trained peers to address stressors, trauma, fatigue and other needs to combat workf...
Nov 01, 2024•30 min
In this episode, we are joined by Melissa True (Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute), Jessica Knudsen (Clarity Child Guidance Center), and Brian Jaklich (Harlandale ISD). They tell us about the San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative, an upstream collaboration of nonprofits focusing on behavioral health prevention so public schools do not have to focus fully on intervention. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with...
Oct 04, 2024•31 min
In this episode, we are joined by Wesley Patton, the Blanco County Emergency Services Department Community Paramedic Captain. He tells us about the Community Paramedic Program, a unique program in Blanco County that dispatches paramedics to deescalate mental health crisis calls when necessary. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions express...
Sep 13, 2024•23 min
In this episode, we are joined by Daniela Chisolm, an Assistant El Paso County Attorney & Senior Trial Attorney in the Mental Health Litigation Unit, and Dr. Patricia Ortiz, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. This innovative program is a collaboration between TTUHSC El Paso and the El Paso County Attorney's Office that embeds forensic psychiatry residents in the justice system with the goal of improving access to me...
Aug 09, 2024•40 min
In this episode, we are joined by Judge Matt Hand, the Potter County Court #2 Presiding Judge, and Josh Crawford, the Director of Panhandle Regional Specialty Courts. The Panhandle Regional Problem Solving Court is a unique mental health court because it can pull participants from more than 20 counties in Texas. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, a...
Jul 05, 2024•38 min
In this episode, we are joined by Devon Anderson, the Justice Forward President and CEO. Justice Forward is a nonprofit that funds essential programs for individuals in the Specialty Courts of Harris, Galveston, and Fort Bend Counties to help them become independent and productive members of our community. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opi...
Jun 07, 2024•31 min
In this episode, we are joined by Judge of Tarrant County Criminal Court 8 Hon. Chuck Vanover, Program Manager Courtney Young, and Caser Manager Sydney Howard. They tell us about the Tarrant County Public Safety Employees Treatment Court . The program is designed to divert eligible public safety employees out of the traditional criminal justice process and into appropriate rehabilitative alternatives. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@tx...
May 03, 2024•40 min
In this episode, we are joined by Travis County District Attorney José Garza. He tells us about the Travis County Transformation Project , a pre-arrest, community-based pilot program for 15 to 16-year-olds involved with family violence in the home. In this episode, our guests talk about a video shown to families before they decide to join the program. You can view it here . If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject ...
Apr 08, 2024•36 min
In this episode, we are joined by JCMH Collaborative Councilmember Dr. Sandra Smith, the Vice President of Via Hope, and Abena Asante, a Senior Program Officer at St. David's Foundation. They tell us about the Libraries for Health initiative . This program places peer support specialists in public libraries in eight different Central Texas communities . In this episode, our guests talk about a "Storybook" which you can find here . If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see...
Mar 19, 2024•35 min
In this episode, we are joined by JCMH Collaborative Councilmember Sergeant Shawn Edwards, the lead of the Burleson County Sheriff's Office Crisis Intervention Team. He tells us about the county's diversion program and his experience starting the program in a rural community. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker...
Feb 02, 2024•23 min
In this episode, we are joined by two JCMH Commissioners: Denise Oncken, the Mental Health Bureau Chief at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, and Wayne Young, the Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for mental Health and IDD . They introduce us to the Harris County Diversion Center, which just celebrated its 5th year. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaim...
Jan 12, 2024•43 min
In this episode, we are joined by Lee Pierson, JCMH Commissioner and Dallas County District Attorney’s Office Mental Health Division Chief. He introduces us to the Pretrial Intervention Program in Dallas County, a series of conditions a defendant with a mental health concern can meet to ultimately have their case dismissed. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views,...
Dec 01, 2023•46 min
In this episode, we are joined by Hon. Stephanie Sawyer, a Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge and the Founder and Board Chair of The Sentencing Foundation . Since 2018, Judge Sawyer has been at the forefront of innovation by utilizing a program she developed: Resource-Based Sentencing & Supervision. Her program is meant to reduce mass incarceration and recidivism by providing re-entry resources to defendants and creating a system of accountability. If you have an innovation in m...
Nov 07, 2023•43 min
In this episode, we are joined by Judge Renee Rodriguez-Betancourt, the 449th District Court Judge in Hidalgo County. She presides over juvenile cases and provides youth with an opportunity for rehabilitation while simultaneously ensuring the general public’s safety. Judge Rodriguez-Betancourt introduces us to her newly decorated trauma-informed courtroom, which is designed to create a more physically welcoming environment for youth as well as prioritize the manner in which they are spoken to. S...
Oct 05, 2023•34 min
In this episode, we are joined by Bailey Hagler, the Community Based Mental Health Director for StarCare Lubbock . She introduces us to Multisystem Therapy (MST), an intense, family-focused and community-based treatment program with the goal of rehabilitating juvenile offenders. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice." *Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the spea...
Sep 08, 2023•35 min
In this episode, we are joined by Anthony Graves, the Director of Community Outreach at the Harris County Public Defender's Office. He introduces us to the Peer Navigator Project , which he started on his own before bringing the program to Harris County. Graves tells the story of his wrongful conviction and the 18 years he spent incarcerated. He is now using that experience to connect people who are currently incarcerated with peers. Anthony's book: Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solita...
Jul 28, 2023•29 min
In this episode, we are joined by Sergeant Rico Gomez with the Harris County Sheriff's Office's Behavioral Health Unit. He introduces us to Harris County's CIRT (Crisis Intervention Response Team) and CORE (Clinician Office Remote Evaluation) programs and tells us how they have improved Harris County's response to calls with a mental health nexus. If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@txcourts.gov with the subject line "Reimagining Justice."...
Jun 29, 2023•32 min
WARNING: This episode contains discussion related to bullying, sexual assault, suicide, childhood trauma, and human trafficking. Some listeners may want to skip this episode and catch up with us for the next one. In this episode, we are joined by Judge Cynthia Wheless, the Presiding Judge of the 417th District Court in Collin County. Judge Wheless tells us how and why she created the GEMS (Girl’s Empowerment Mentoring Support) Program and a Juvenile Mental Health Court. If you have an innovation...
May 03, 2023•42 min
For our very first episode of Reimagining Justice, we are joined by Kirk Noaker, Senior Specialist of Mental Health & Criminal Justice at the Arc of Texas. Kirk talks to us about the Whole Person Project, which seeks to expand access to quality mental health services for adult Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Links: Whole Person Project videos Whole Person Project background If you have an innovation in mental health that you'd like to see on the podcast, email JCMH@t...
Mar 16, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 1
