GPDSC Hosts Panel Discussion on Governor's HELP Program

Atlanta - Today the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council's (GPDSC) Office of the Mental Health Advocate is hosting a panel discussion on Governor Sonny Perdue's pilot mental health diversion program, known as the Health, Empowerment, Linkage and Possibilities (HELP) Program based in Gainesville, Georgia. The discussion is part of a training seminar for public defenders on evaluating, placing and treating mentally ill clients.

Panelists taking part in the discussion are Bill Kissel, director of health services for the Georgia Department of Corrections, Karen Bailey Smith, director of forensic services for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Erika Johnson, program director of Gainesville's HELP program, and defense attorney Gregory Valpey. The panel discussion will begin at 3:15 at the Standards Council's Marietta Street office in Atlanta.

The HELP program was implemented after sheriffs from all over Georgia expressed concerns about providing services for people with mental illness or mental retardation who are detained at local jails. The program's mission is to provide alternatives to incarceration through community-based services for mentally ill defendants. Ultimately, organizers hope that HELP will become a statewide program that helps reduce recidivism and deter prolonged involvement with the criminal justice system for defendants that really need medical treatment.

Sabrina Rhinehart, GPDSC 's interim mental health advocate, explained that GPDSC is supportive of HELP because, "We hope that through this program's success, we can assist in eventually initiating similar mental health courts in other areas of the state."

The HELP program accepts referrals from attorneys, court officials and other agencies. Currently, the bulk of the referrals are originating from Hall County detention officials, who are invaluable in identifying mentally challenged inmates and contacting the courts and pretrial officers to divert the defendant from the criminal justice system. Following a referral, a HELP case manager conducts an evaluation to determine the inmate's eligibility for the program. The referral is then forwarded to a judge and the district attorney who review the criminal charges and defendant's clinical history. If the individual is eligible, they have the option to accept the program and proceed through a mental health court or decline and proceed through criminal court. If they agree to participate in HELP, case managers oversee their progress through the entire process.

Panelist Bill Kissell stated, "This program was endorsed by Governor Sonny Perdue to address the growing concerns of the increasing mental health population in Georgia 's jails and prisons that may be better served by a system that addresses their specific needs."

###