The primary purpose of the Court Psychiatric Clinic is to provide the Cleveland Municipal Court with impartial forensic evaluations and clinic screening assessments. The Court Psychiatric Clinic strives to enhance public safety by promoting treatment, recovery and reducing recidivism

Psychiatric Clinic services are performed by an interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. Services to the court include:

• Crisis intervention
• In-court triage
• Liaison services between the court and state mental health hospitals
• Facilitation of hospital admissions for defendants who require hospitalization and outpatient services
• Clinic screening assessments

Referrals to the clinic are made by the judges and probation officers. Mental health assessments are used to determine the following:

• Competency to stand trial
• Sanity at the time of the act
• Eligibility for civil commitment after a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity
• Emergency hospitalization
• Violence risk assessments
• Testimony after a verdict to mitigate a penalty