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Municipal court reports rise in competency referrals, launches diversion study with Harvard lab
Summary
Toledo Municipal Court officials told the safety committee they are seeing more incompetency referrals, are piloting inpatient treatment pathways with St. Charles Hospital and the Lucas County mental‑health board, and have started a Harvard‑backed study of the court’s diversion program.
Lisa Falgiano, court administrator for the Toledo Municipal Court Judges Division, told the committee the court has seen an increase in competency referrals and is piloting programs to improve outcomes for defendants judged incompetent to stand trial.
Falgiano said competency referrals rose in 2024 and that “fewer and fewer people are restoreable,” leaving the court with limited statutory options, such as dismissal or an involuntary‑commitment referral to probate when statutory criteria are met. The court is working with the Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and St. Charles Hospital on a six‑month pilot to expedite inpatient treatment for nonviolent, incompetent‑and‑unrestorable defendants; the board is covering hospital costs for the pilot participants and the court is evaluating early results. Falgiano said three people had entered inpatient care through the pilot as of the meeting.
The judges’ office also described a diversion‑program study launched March 17 with Harvard’s Access to Justice Lab. The court reported 57 referrals into the diversion program in the first month, with a 56% enrollment rate into the study (participants are either in the diversion program or a control group completing community service). The court said the enrollment funding will extend three years but staff hope to complete expected enrollments sooner.
Budget and staffing matters surfaced in the presentation. Falgiano said court security costs will increase about 14% due to a sheriff’s contract arbitration award, producing roughly a $300,000 unfunded obligation this fiscal year that the court expects to cover using salary savings; the court expects to address the item in the next budget cycle. The court also plans to reapply for the Community Corrections Act (CCA) grant from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, seeking roughly $1.6 million to support probation operations and treatment services.
Falgiano said staff are reorganizing unrepresented‑litigant services into a single help center to improve access for expungements, driver‑license reinstatements and related services. She also said the court will return to council to update Toledo Municipal Code Chapter 21.34, which governs court employment, to reflect changes the court adopted in 2023 (alternative schedules and sick‑leave approaches) that require code updates.
Council members requested follow up: Councilwoman Williams asked for clarification about diversion enrollment timelines and Judge Wagner’s driver‑license assistance docket; other members asked for the unpaid portion of 2024 revenue collections and follow‑up on changes in Washington Township ticketing patterns. The court said several of these items will be provided by referral.
Quote: “We are finding that fewer and fewer people are restoreable,” Falgiano said, describing the court’s competency caseload and the resulting constraint on available case dispositions.
