Potter County Judge Pushing for Mental Health Court to Address Several Issues at the Detention Center

Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner believes she has a solution to inmates with mental issues that are the primary reason for overcrowding at the detention center..

Judge Tanner is pushing the solution of establishing a new mental health court to cater exclusively on solving the problems with the detention center's ever growing population of prisoners with mental illness and the difficulty of providing adequate medical care for those inmates.

The first duty of the mental health court is culling  back the number of incarcerated with mental illnesses to decrease the prison population.  Rules would make it easier for inmates to be granted release and probation.  Once released they are free to seek out and choose a doctor that can better treat the illness.  Group therapy sessions will also be coordinated through the court.

County Commissioners will be the final obstacle to creating the mental health court as they are decide which county resources spent in the most proper place they can agree on.