Bexar County Sheriffs Office Mental Health PreScreening Diversion

Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Mental Health Pre-Screening Diversion Program Captain Martin C. Molina

Mental Health Pre-Screening and Diversion • This training bulletin serves to provide all Deputies with direction on the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office commitment to providing mental health consumers with services that can better address their long term health and well-being in place of traditional arrest and incarceration methods. This can be accomplished by pre-screening all arrested individuals for mental health issues as well as utilizing Emergency Detentions in lieu of arrest in certain misdemeanor cases. Screening of all arrested persons is described in Texas CCP Art. 16. 22. EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF DEFENDANT SUSPECTED OF HAVING MENTAL ILLNESS OR MENTAL RETARDATION.

• Effective July 1, 2015, before an arrested person may be released to San Antonio Detention Center Personnel, the handling deputy will pre-screen the arrested person using the four (4) question screening format provided on the back of the Bexar County Booking Slip. The four questions are as follows: 1. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A MENTAL ILLNESS BY A DOCTOR OR BY MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL? (Circle 1) YES 2. HAVE YOU EVER OR ARE YOU CURRENTLY TAKING ANY MEDICATIONS FOR MENTAL ILLNESS ? (Circle 1) YES 3. NO Have you ever tried to kill yourself? (Circle 1) YES 4. NO NO Do you currently have thoughts of killing yourself? (Circle 1) YES NO ***These questions are to be asked to the arrested person as required by SAPD procedure 601 and a Directive issued by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

• Deputies will ask all Arrested Persons these questions. The answers received from the Arrested Person, to include a refused response, will be documented on the booking slip. The handling deputies will make a second copy of the booking slip and place it in the box provided at the intake desk for the Center for Health Care Services personnel. (CHCS) personnel will be responsible for the collection of the forms and the full screening of those persons answering “Yes” to any question as per CHCS and County Mental Health protocols. • Depending on the assessment at the magistrates off, the defendant may be transported to a center for treatment, or fast tracked to the County jail for further evaluation.

TEXAS CCP Art. 16. 22. EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF DEFENDANT SUSPECTED OF HAVING MENTAL ILLNESS OR MENTAL RETARDATION. (a) (1) Not later than 72 hours after receiving credible information that may establish reasonable cause to believe that a defendant committed to the sheriff's custody has a mental illness or is a person with mental retardation, including observation of the defendant's behavior immediately before, during, and after the defendant's arrest and the results of any previous assessment of the defendant, the sheriff shall provide written or electronic notice of the information to the magistrate. On a determination that there is reasonable cause to believe that the defendant has a mental illness or is a person with mental retardation, the magistrate, except as provided by Subdivision (2), shall order the local mental health or mental retardation authority or another qualified mental health or mental retardation expert to: A. Collect information regarding whether the defendant has a mental illness as defined by Section 571. 003, Health and Safety Code, or is a person with mental retardation as defined by Section 591. 003, Health and Safety Code, including information obtained from any previous assessment of the defendant; and B. Provide to the magistrate a written assessment of the information collected under Paragraph (A).

Sgt. Alice Lopez-BCSO will provide information on the mission and objective of the BCSO Mental Health Unit during her time of presentation.