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Second Judicial District outlines assisted outpatient treatment program; DA petition authority to expand under HB 8
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Summary
The Second Judicial District Court described its assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) civil program for people with severe mental illness, including eligibility, team-based services and outcome data. Presenters warned that AOT referrals will likely increase after House Bill 8 expands who can petition into the program.
Katina Watson, chief executive officer for the Second Judicial District Court, presented the court’s assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) program and described eligibility criteria, team supports and outcomes for program participants.
Watson said AOT is a civil court‑ordered program for Bernalillo County residents 18 or older with a primary diagnosis of a serious mental disorder who have a documented history of nonadherence to treatment and repeated hospitalizations or incarcerations. AOT provides a court‑supervised treatment plan, regular judicial review and a multidisciplinary clinical team that helps with case management, transportation and appointment adherence; the program period is typically 12 months and can be extended by a judge.
Watson provided outcome figures from earlier years of operation: for a previous reporting period she cited that 78 percent of participants were not admitted to the hospital, medication adherence was 79 percent, and 87 percent of participants were not arrested while in the program. She said the program initially began around 2017–2018 and took its first clients in fiscal year 2020.
Importantly, Watson told the council that changes in House Bill 8 will allow the district attorney to file petitions to bring people into AOT beginning in June (date referenced during the presentation but not specified in the meeting transcript). The court and the DA’s office are working on a plan for how the DA will stand up a petitioning team; Watson said the change is expected to increase AOT referrals and that the court is preparing to accommodate more petitions.
Funding questions were raised. Watson said the City provides funding for the program; she told council members she had met with county staff and was “assured that there is funding for the program in FY26,” though she also said the legislature did not appropriate money specifically for AOT in FY26. Watson described internal steps to stretch existing funds — for example, billing Medicare where possible and contracting changes — and said staff were pursuing additional local partnerships and provider networks to expand capacity without a large new appropriation.
Council members pressed for clearer budget detail. Watson and council staff agreed to provide more information offline; councilor Rogers asked staff to show where the city’s AOT funding appears in the FY26 budget documents. Watson also said the program-manager role (Laura Braun) is overseeing outreach to additional service providers and that partnerships with MDC, UNM and local hospitals are being explored to create clinical and assessment capacity.
