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Judge Burke - Hope for Addiction and Mental Illness!
- 2023/11/17
- 再生時間： 1 時間 18 分
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あらすじ・解説
Episode 2: Louisville attorneys Rob Mattingly and John DeCamillis interview Jefferson County Judge Stephanie Burke about the Drug Court. This episode deals with both mental illness and addiction. They discuss her passion for helping people to recover, how Drug Court works and why it’s so valuable to our community. Editors Note: If you are an attorney and would like to receive CLE credit for this episode, visit the Kentucky Justice Association website, click the Education & Training tab and look for the podcast. The Honorable Stephanie Burke is a Jefferson County District Court Judge. Elected in 2010, she’s served for the past 10 years. She’s a mental health and criminal court judge. She’s served in the Jefferson County Drug Court since 2012. She also became the mental health judge in District Court in 2017. Rob and John often receive calls from people who have family members suffering from mental health problems and/or drug addiction. They simply need direction and advice as to how to help their family member. Addiction Topic 1: If someone has an alcohol or drug issue, but hasn’t be charged with a crime. Topic 2: If someone’s been charged with a drug or alcohol crime. Mental Illness Topic 3: What do you do if someone suffering from mental health issues is in immediate danger? Topic 4: What resources are available if your family member is having on-going struggles with mental health? John begins by commenting that Judge Burke has become the local expert in regard to how the court system can get involved on a personal level and save lives. Judge Burke credits her early experience working with Judge Henry Weber, who was a Drug Court judge. She was also a guardian ad litem working with people living in poverty. Both experiences were formative in her desire get on the bench to help those people in need by getting them out of the system and to have better outcomes. During her time on the bench, she was active in getting Tim’s Law passed. This deals with court ordered assisted outpatient statue. Judge Burke was instrumental in Kentucky recently receiving a $4,000,000 grant to help Jefferson County deal with people who are frequently hospitalized and incarcerated due to challenges in coping with their mental health situations outside of a formal setting. Topic 1 When John receives a call about someone struggling with and issue, he tries to determine if it’s due to addiction, substance abuse, mental addiction or a combination of factors. If it’s substance abuse the person’s age and insurance are important. Casey’s Law becomes important when there’s no criminal action, but the parent wants to seek help for their loved one, through the court system. What Is Casey’s Law? Casey’s Law enables a family member or loved one to take court action to obtain a court order to force someone into substance abuse treatment. This would be an involuntary situation. While this involves fees and other expensed, there are community resources available to help. To find out how to obtain a Casey’s Law order, visit www.CaseysLaw.org and search for Jefferson County. The process is explained and the steps are laid out to help you. Judge Burke suggests www.FindHelpNowKY.org, as a resource, before pursuing a Casey’s Law order. A questionnaire on the site will provide a list of potential treatment options, based on the specific circumstances. In 2020, Jefferson County had 600 overdose deaths. There were only 218 in 2015. The opioid epidemic combined with COVID pandemic have led to disastrous results in Jefferson County. The isolation has exacerbated the challenges for those in recovery or those trying to gain sobriety. Overdose deaths in Jefferson County increased by 60%, compared to last year. As a family member of someone struggling with addiction, a court ordered intervention can be that step that helps to turn his/her life around. Addiction treatment has enabled many people to begin and stick with recovery. They can go on to have successful lives, save marriages and enable them to be the parents they really want to be, because the drugs are no longer controlling their lives. Here’s an overview of the PART 1 process, when no criminal charges are pending: The parent contacts John DeCamillis The parent or family member should look at the Jefferson County Attorney’s website for Casey’s Law at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/county-attorney/caseys-law. Contact the advocate in the county attorney’s office by calling (502) 574-6188. The Office of the Circuit Court Clerk’s Mental Health Division is another option at (502) 595-4053. They will walk you through and provide assistance. The prosecutor’s office will assist in preparing the petition. After the mandatory evaluation is completed, a court hearing is set. The petitioner would testify as to why they feel their loved one should be placed into this program. The court...