Mental Health Courts

Mental Health Courts are one of several types of specialty court or treatment court programs that connect participants with community-based mental health treatment. Mental Health Courts use assessments, individualized treatment plans, and judicial monitoring to concurrently address both the participant’s mental health needs and concerns for public safety. JCMH can assist counties with the creation, expansion or improvement of Mental Health Courts through training, connection to mentor courts, and the first-of-its-kind Mental Health Courts Collaborative.

Texas Mental Health Courts

Texas Government Code Chapter 125 sets out the statutorily required characteristics for Mental Health Court Programs. While the Government Code requires that counties with a population of 200,000 or more people establish a mental health court program and register it with the Office of Court Administration, not all counties of that size are able to do so. As of July 9, 2024, the Office of Court Administration’s List of Registered Specialty Courts indicates there are 29 registered mental health court programs and 9 registered juvenile mental health court programs in the state of Texas.

Adult Mental Health Courts in Texas (as of 7/9/24)
Bexar County	Bexar County Co-Occurring Reentry Court
	Bexar County Mental Health Court
	Felony Mental Health Court
Bowie County	102^nd District Court Mental Health Court
Brazoria County	Brazoria County Mental Health Court
Cameron and Willacy Counties	Cameron County Mental Health Divert Court
Collin County	Collin County Adult Mental Health Court
Comal County	Comal County Mental Health Court
Dallas County	Dual Diagnosis Aftercare Court
	CCA #1 Mental Health Diversion Court
	ATLAS
	Dallas County Competency Court
El Paso County	INSPIRE Treatment Court
Fannin County	Fannin County Mental Health 336^th Court
Fort Bend County	434^th District Mental Health Docket
Fort Bend County	CCL #3 Mental Health Court
Galveston County	Galveston County Mental Health Court
Harris County	183^rd Felony Mental Health Court - Co-Occurring Disorder
Harris County	Felony Mental Health Court
Hays County	Hays County Mental Health Court
Hidalgo County	Mental Health Court
McLennan County	McLennan County Mental Health Court
Medina County	454^th Specialty Court
Midland County	Midland County Mental Health Court
Montgomery County	Mental Health Treatment Court
Potter County	Panhandle Regional Problem Solving Court
Tarrant County	Tarrant County Mental Health Diversion Court
Travis County	Mental Health Court
Uvalde County	38^th District Specialty Court

Juvenile Mental Health Courts in Texas (as of 7/9/24)
Cameron County	A.C.T. Juvenile Specialty Court
Collin County	Juvenile Mental Health Intervention Program
Dallas County	Mental Health Court (Juvenile)
El Paso County	65^th District Project HOPE Mental Health Court
Fort Bend County	Fort Bend County Court at Law No. 3
Harris County	Court 360
Hidalgo County	Hidalgo County LIFELINES Girls Juvenile Mental Health Court
Jefferson County	Jefferson County Juvenile Mental Health Court
Val Verde County	Juvenile/Mental Health Specialty Court

JCMH Resources for Mental Health Courts

How to Start a Mental Health Court

Mental Health Courts Collaborative

10-Step Guide

Additional resources by topic area can be found here.

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The mission of the Judicial Commission on Mental Health is to engage and empower court systems through collaboration, education, and leadership, thereby improving the lives of individuals with mental health needs, substance use disorders, or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). While we recognize and understand you or a loved one may be facing mental health struggles, the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health does not provide legal advice and cannot make any referrals to, or promote any provider of, mental health services. We encourage individuals who are seeking legal counsel to contact the State Bar, and individuals who are seeking mental health services to contact your Local Mental Health Authority.