Hays County’s Mental Health Treatment Court has heard zero cases since its inception in late 2019. County officials cite COVID-19 and lack of funding for the delay in launching a docket.
The commissioners court approved a resolution of support for the creation of a Mental Health Treatment Court on Dec. 10, 2019, but county records show that there is not a designated docket for the court yet.
“The short answer is, it does exist, the commissioners court created it under the statute,” said Hays County General Counsel Mark Kennedy, referring to Chapter 125 of the Texas Government Code which gives the commissioners court the authority to create a Mental Health Court for those who have been arrested or charged with a misdemeanor or felony and are suspected of having mental illness.
