Probate judge: 2025 commitment cases up 20% while mental-health hospital admissions fall 39%
Probate Judge Scott Hassell told the Etowah County Commission that commitment cases rose 20% in 2025 even as mental-health hospital admissions fell 39%; he also reported a 1.7% overall decrease in cases and a top-five statewide ranking for adoptions.
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Probate Judge Scott Hassell reported to the Etowah County Commission on Jan. 6, 2026 that the county’s 2025 probate caseload changed markedly: commitment cases increased 20% while mental-health hospital admissions decreased 39%. He also said there was a 1.7% overall decrease in cases and that Etowah County ranks in the top five in the state for adoption cases. Indigent burial cases, Hassell said, are on the rise.
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