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Santa Clara County’s mental‑health arraignment pilot shortens time to treatment, officials say
Summary
County prosecutors, public defenders and court partners described a pre‑arraignment, multi‑agency mental‑health calendar that has expedited treatment referrals and reduced time to disposition for participants, based on a pilot launched Oct. 18, 2024.
Santa Clara County officials on March 13 described a pilot program that holds a specialized mental‑health arraignment calendar and brings prosecutors, defense attorneys, behavioral‑health providers and other stakeholders together early to develop individualized release and treatment plans.
Bringing the right people together earlier is the point of the pilot. “This collaboration — information sharing and multi‑agency case conferencing — is at the highest level and at the earliest stage than we've ever seen in this county,” said Brandon Cabrera of the district attorney’s office during the committee presentation.
The pilot began Oct. 18, 2024, and is held weekly on Friday afternoons, staff said. According to program…
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