NAMI-GBA Presents Judge Kenneth Todd with the "Beautiful Mind Award"

 

            NAMI-GBA President Jill Taylor and Judge Kenneth Todd          NAMI-GBA's 2007 Beautiful Mind Award



(The Herald Times, October 2007) Monroe Circuit Judge Kenneth Todd has been awarded the “Beautiful Mind Award” by the Greater Bloomington Area chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.


Todd received the award during a public panel discussion on “Decriminalizing the Mentally Ill in Bloomington,” held at the Monroe County Public Library earlier this month.


He was recognized for his work in establishing and implementing the Monroe County Drug Treatment Court.


“Although we recognize that many individuals have worked very hard to create this wonderful program, which both saves taxpayers’ money and reduces jail recidivism, we have chosen to recognize Judge Todd for his leadership in bringing this program to Monroe County,” Jill Bolte Taylor, president of the local chapter of NAMI, said in a prepared statement.


Drug court is a program that provides intensive treatment and monitoring to long-term drug and alcohol abusers who have pleaded guilty to nonviolent criminal offenses.


Participants appear weekly before a judge for review of progress and compliance with conditions of participation. Upon successful completion of the two-year program, charges are dismissed.


An independent study by Oregon-based NPC Research found the program reduced recidivism of its graduates by 66 percent and, in comparing graduates to nonparticipants, determined the program reduced subsequent criminal justice costs by more than 2,000 percent.


Decriminalizing Mental Illness

Our last general meeting was held during Mental Illness Awareness Week on Thursday, October 11 at 7:00pm in the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium.  A panel was convened to talk both individually and collectively about the process of decriminalizing the mentally ill in Bloomington.  Included in the discussion were:

Bloomington Police Captain Mike Diekhoff
Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal
Monroe County Sheriff Jim Kennedy
David Carrico from the Center for Behavioral Health
Drug Court Judge Kenneth Todd
Bloomington Hospital Psychiatrist Perry Griffith

This meeting has been videotaped and will air periodically on Bloomington's Community Access Television Channels.  To request the program, please contact CATS at 812-349-3111 and ask for the "Decriminalizing Mental Illness" program.

After the general meeting, we held our annual business meeting for NAMI members to vote on next year's Board of Directors and Executive Officers.  Secretary Cathy Korinek and at-large director Vid Beldavs have finished their two-year terms and stepped off the board.  Voted onto the board are Secretary Beth Sluys and at-large member Jill Giffin.  Janet James also stepped off the executive board but continues to serve as an at-large member.  Lee Strickholm will serve as our Treasurer and Kat Domingo will serve as our Vice President.

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Issue No. 3 (October 2006)
Issue No. 4 (January 2007)
Issue No. 5 (May 2007)
Issue No. 6 (October 2007)
Issue No. 7 (January 2008)