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The Washington County Commissioners have discussed funds and contracts for a Mental Health Court in the County over the past two weeks. Chairman of the Board of Washington County Commissioners Mitch Antle said Monday that the District Attorney's Office has a copy of the contract District Judge Linda Thomas wants the Commissioners to sign.

Antle said he wants the DA to review the contract before they schedule to sign the contract on an upcoming agenda. He said he took a look at what Judge Thomas had sent him this weekend and said there is a substantial amount of material surrounding the guidelines criminal justice services. According to what Antle found, it would be an alternative sentencing or an alternative court program that puts Community Sentencing, the Drug Court and the Mental Health Court all under one bubble.

Chairman Antle said he talked to Rogers County Commissioner Dan DeLozier about the Mental Health Court program last Thursday. DeLozier told Antle that they have an alternative mental health program that is not a Mental Health Court.

While Antle said he thought that would add an extra layer of confusion, he said it is an early release deal that Rogers County is running. He said they basically pay for so many people to go through the mental health program and stay in a halfway house. He said they do that to keep them out of the jail system.

Antle said the process is messy and he is uncertain where they will end up with the Mental Health Court System.