MENTAL HEALTH COORDINATOR - Criminal Courts

Tarrant County College; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 48,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement benefits (TCDRS)

Paid holidays

Job summary

Tarrant County is seeking an Internal Coordinator for mental-impaired issues affecting Criminal Courts. You will handle mental-health court operations, coordinate with judges, jail staff, and clinicians, and manage dockets and calendars to ensure timely proceedings.

You will communicate with multiple agencies, prepare orders and reports, monitor treatment transfers, and ensure compliance with court rules. Strong MS Office skills and confidential information handling are essential.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree preferred.
• Seven years related experience.
• Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree may substitute for experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Demonstrate knowledge of court operations, docket management, and due process requirements.
• MS Office suite proficiency including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.
• Ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Handles mental-health court business as directed by judges or magistrates.
• Attends mental-health court proceedings and ensures proper settings per local rules.
• Communicates with agencies and fields calls related to mental health proceedings.
• Creates and distributes dockets for mental-health proceedings to staff.
• Provides case status and court conflict information.
• Coordinates calendars and meetings for Mental Health Court staff.
• Monitors companion cases and manages scheduling.
• Coordinates transfers to medical or mental-health facilities as needed.
• Oversees appointments of psychologists/psychiatrists for competency evaluations.
• Coordinates return from state hospital to schedule hearings when defendant is competent.
• Monitors medication and bond-condition compliance for released defendants.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Court operations familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree preferred

Degree may substitute for experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Summary

This position serves as an internal coordinator for issues pertaining to the mentally impaired affecting the Criminal Courts.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Handles all mental-health court business as directed by thejudges or magistrates.
• Attends mental-health court proceedings and ensures proper settings as guided by local rules and case-flow management.
• Communicates with local and outside agencies, fielding calls related to mental health proceedings.
• Creates and generates dockets for mental-health proceedings and distributes to appropriate criminal court staff and clerks.
• Provides information regarding case status and court conflicts.
• Coordinates calendar of activities, meetings and events and maintains schedules for the Mental Health Court staff.
• Monitors companion cases.
• Serves as court coordinator for mental-health proceedings.
• Works on behalf of the Criminal Courts and in tandem with the Data and Jail Population Specialist to monitor incoming prisoners and to identify those with a severe mental-health impairment that may require immediate attention. May include initiating transfers to a therapeutic residential setting for stabilization, charge dismissal and transfer for civil commitment, or commitment for competency restoration.
• Works with jail staff to coordinate judicial authorization for transfer to medical or mental-health facility if a prisoner becomes mentally unstable while in jail.
• Monitors assignments of psychologists and psychiatrists who are appointed to evaluate prisoners for mental competency. Ensures appointment orders are signed by a judge or magistrate, the jail is notified of the appointment, and doctors have submitted timely reports.
• Coordinates return of defendants from state hospital and ensures hearing can be scheduled at a time when the defendant is presumably competent.
• Coordinates and monitors progress of mentally impaired defendants released on pretrial supervision to ensure medication compliance and bond-condition compliance.
• Serves as a resource to courts for referral of mentally impaired defendants to community resources.
• Collaborates with service providers and community organizations to resolve issues with mentally impaired offenders with pending cases.
• Performs all other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.
• Bachelor’s or Associate's degree preferred.
• Seven (7) years related experience.
• Bachelor’s or Associate's degree in a related field may substitute for required experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of the operation of courts, court proceedings, docket management, and due process requirements.
• Intermediate to Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, including Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel. Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision.
• Ability to handle confidential information.

Physical Demands And Work Environment & Other Requirements

While performing the duties of this position, the incumbent is regularly required to sit, stand, lift, transport, stoop, grasp, climb, walk, and bend. There is exposure to household type cleaning agents (such as diluted bleach, alcohol-based window cleaner, chlorine-based cleanser); and occasional exposure to pesticides. There is occasional exposure to inmate control devices that emit pepper agents via aerosol spray, gel, or foam. There is the potential of exposure to toxic smoke.

Tarrant County offers a full range of employee benefit programs for eligible employees, retirees, and their families. These programs include group health plans for medical, dental, and vision coverage; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); life and long- term disability insurance; and flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care reimbursements. The County also provides retirement benefits. Full time employees participate in the Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS), and employees may also participate in a retirement savings program (Deferred Compensation). In addition to these "basic employee benefits" and retirement services, employees benefit from a variety of other programs including 13 paid holidays, a Wellness Program, and more.

• Note: These benefits are for Tarrant County employees only. For benefit information regarding Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) employees, please contact Patrice Smith at [phone].