Two graduates for inaugural Mental Health Court graduation

Dec. 05--EVANSVILLE -- After losing three of her loved ones within a matter of months -- her brother, stepmother and then her husband -- Gwendolyn Johnson felt there was nothing left to live for.

It was 2009, and she didn't realize it yet, but she was depressed. She attempted suicide twice, but credits God with intervening the second time, which is how she ended up in the Vanderburgh County Superior Court Mental Health Court.

On Thursday afternoon, Johnson, 58, and Amanda Miller, 24, were the first graduates of Mental Health Court's inaugural session. Both women are Evansville natives, and both completed the program in the minimum time of one year.

"It's kind of hard to talk about because I felt like I had died with them," Johnson said. "And I didn't have anything to live for ... I'm back to me again. I'm so glad that they helped me to realize that there is life to live for."

Currently there are 18 participants in the Mental Health Court program, and 15 are waiting to see if they qualify. To enroll, someone must have committed a crime and have a diagnosed mental illness that played a part in the criminal action. The program was established in September 2013 by Magistrate Jill Marcrum with the authority of the Vanderburgh Superior Court judges and assistance from many other local organizations.

"We did it quietly, and we kind of found our way ... It's been something I've talked about for at least four years, maybe longer," Marcrum said. "It's been a labor of love for me."

The Mental Health Court program aims to increase public safety for communities, increase treatment engagement by participants, improve quality of life for participants and create more effective use of resources for sponsoring jurisdictions, which results in overall government savings, according to program officials.

The courtroom was crowded with family and friends Thursday for the inaugural graduation ceremony. Before handing out the two diplomas, Marcrum said 62 people have applied to enter the program since September 2013. Eleven of those people declined to participate for personal reasons; six people were referred but had significant substance abuse problems, and two people had traumatic brain injuries, both are things Marcrum said the court isn't equipped to deal with; two applicants were veterans and referred to veteran court; the state dismissed seven cases for a variety of reasons; and one person died from illness before finishing the program.

Marcrum praised Johnson and Miller for their dedication to the program.

"We're very proud of them ... It's great to see people getting control of their lives again and making progress and doing good things," she said. "I look at the Gwendolyns and Amandas and see how they've grown as people and see how they've gotten control of their lives. That is just the greatest feeling in the world."

Miller didn't share much about how she got into the program, but said she was happy to graduate.

"You've been through a lot of things," Marcrum said during the ceremony. "We've talked about a lot of things and you've had some trials and tribulations, and you've been very strong."

Johnson thanked Marcrum for bringing her back to life. She admitted it took her a while to realize she was depressed.

"I thought I was strong-minded enough to handle all the funerals, but I broke down ... I've come a long way ... It's a thrill to see how far I've come because there for a minute I didn't know if I was going to make it from the tragedy I had went through," she said.

Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor Anna Finnerty was assigned to the court and said officials look at all facts of a case and the circumstances. They recognized the mental health of a person can often be a factor when a crime is committed. She said generally the cases for Mental Health Court are misdemeanors and sometimes felonies. Participants must follow certain rules, she said, including attending all doctors' appointments, staying on the proper medication and not taking any illegal substances or using alcohol.

Cases dropped

"Mental illness is not just an individual problem, it's a family problem," Finnerty said. "Providing some of that assistance to some of these families, we've seen some start getting more involved because there's another option out here for them. And that's always reassuring to see some of the families step up and start helping."

After the diplomas were given to Miller and Johnson, Finnerty told them their cases hand been dropped.

"We had two rock stars ... They not only did the minimum we require, but they went above that and really took in what we were trying to teach," she said.

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