(Columbus) -- The Mental Health Specialized Docket of the Cleveland Municipal Court has earned final certification from the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Specialized Dockets. To receive the certification, a local court submits a detailed application, undergoes a visit and report on its practices, and provides specific program materials in response to certification standards that went into effect in January 2014.
Contact: Ed Ferenc, Public Information Officer
Cleveland Municipal Court
216 664 6787 / 216 789 2597
ference@cmcoh.org www.cmcoh.org
(Columbus) -- The Mental Health Specialized Docket of the Cleveland Municipal Court has earned final certification from the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Specialized Dockets. To receive the certification, a local court submits a detailed application, undergoes a visit and report on its practices, and provides specific program materials in response to certification standards that went into effect in January 2014.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy congratulated Judge Suzan M. Sweeney and the Cleveland Municipal Court for meeting the standards required for final certification.
“Specialized dockets offer an alternative to incarceration, and reflect a community’s belief in second chances. They focus on people who are willing to work to overcome the personal challenges that led to their involvement in the justice system. The court and community partners work together to supervise treatment, training, and support, providing local solutions to local problems under leadership of the local court,” said Chief Justice Kennedy.
Courts with specialized dockets address specific treatment needs of people who are charged with a variety of offenses using recommended best-practices that focus on offender accountability, behavior change and recovery. There are 258 certified dockets in Ohio courts with expertise in areas such as: Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Mental Health, Domestic Violence, Veterans Issues and Human Trafficking.
The certification standards provide a minimum level of uniform practices for specialized dockets throughout Ohio and allow local courts to innovate and tailor programs to meet their community’s needs and resources.
“There is a lot of problem-solving that goes on in our staffing meetings before the participants are heard on the docket and it’s amazing to see what progress toward self-improvement those participants make with the proper support from our team, including our compassionate provider agencies and their staff. Making participants accountable, having alternatives that can avoid the consequences of bad choices, really helping people get the resources they need, we end up with better outcomes than a traditional judicial approach” said Judge Sweeney, who has presided over the Mental Health Docket since 2021.
The certification requirements include establishing eligibility requirements, evaluating effectiveness of the specialized docket, and assembling a treatment team to implement daily operations of the specialized docket. The team is headed by the specialized docket judge and can include licensed treatment providers, law enforcement, court personnel, and more.
The Commission on Specialized Dockets has 22 members to advise the Supreme Court and its staff regarding the statewide rules and uniform standards concerning specialized dockets in Ohio courts; the development and delivery of specialized docket services to Ohio courts; and the creation of training programs for judges and court personnel. The commission makes all decisions regarding final certification.