Benton County accepting participants in new Mental Health Court [Video]

BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Benton County is now among the first in Arkansas to offer a Mental Health Court. The new option is meant to address why the defendant committed a crime and help them get onto a better path. 

“It was very exciting last Friday to have that first person come in,” specialty courts coordinator Michelle Barrett said. “It’s been a long process. I think we’re all excited, and we’re all pumped to get started with this,”

The Benton County Quorum Court approved starting a mental health court in March 2023. However, the specialty court only recently started operations with a $100,000 grant from a division of the Department of Justice (DOJ). That money will help fund the first year of the program. The second and third …