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The Mental Health Court Docket (“MHC”) is a specialty court docket that brings together criminal justice agencies and mental health professionals to identify and treat participants with underlying mental health issues. The MHC docket is positioned within the current structure of the Superior Court’s general docket, supplementing the Drug Court, the first treatment court established in 2015.

MHC provides intensive supervision to individuals charged with a misdemeanor or felony offense as a direct result of mental health symptoms or intellectual and developmental disabilities.  It is a voluntary program and utilizes problem-solving docket and non-adversarial models to provide participants with accountability, treatment, rehabilitation, medication management, criminal justice services, and social support services. The Judge and Team work together with participants toward a common goal of enhanced quality of life and decreased criminal justice involvement. This program also assists eligible veterans and service members to access mental health treatment in lieu of incarceration.

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Victoria Matsunaga

Victoria Matsunaga

 Mental Health Court Docket Manager

The CNMI Judiciary recognizes treatment courts and dockets as an effective way to address community needs through the justice system. Treatment courts and dockets provide judicially supervised, community-based treatment programs. On July 3, 2021, the NMI Supreme Court created the Mental Health Court Docket Program (MHCD) through Administrative Order 2021-ADM-0010-RUL. It brings together criminal justice agencies and mental health professionals to identify and treat participants with serious mental illness. The MHCD is composed of the following stakeholders:

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  • CHCC - Psychiatry and Transitional Living Center

  • Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja

  • Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio

  • Office of the Public Defender

  • Office of the Attorney General

  • Court Personnel

  • Department of Corrections and

  • Department of Public Safety

 

The MHCD program is a voluntary program that provides a holistic evidence-based approach. To be eligible for the program, a person must:

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  • Be at least 18 years of age

  • Be a United States citizen or legal resident

  • Be legally competent

  • Have a serious mental health diagnosis or exhibit symptoms of an undiagnosed serious mental illness or intellectual and developmental disability

  • Agree to treatment, take any and all prescribed medication in the manner prescribed, and follow all Team treatment recommendations

  • Have a pending criminal charge. If there are any restitution fees, the amount is less than $5,000.

  • Not have been convicted of a dangerous offense within the past 10 years

  • Not have a sentence imposed which renders the applicant ineligible for probation, whether as a result of a plea or a finding of guilt and voluntarily agree to participate in the program.

Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja and Associate Judge Lillian S. Ada-Tenorio

Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja issuing the MHC's first Conditional Discharge

Scottie Aguon and Jonah Delos Reyes MHC Community Supervision Workers

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