Butte County: Care Court coming? | News [Video]

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. – The controversial state program that aims to help the most severely mentally ill by forcing them to be assessed for treatment will soon expand statewide.

Care Court stands for community, assistance, recovery and empowerment court. While it’s already being tested out in Glenn County and eight others, we will see it start up in every county as of December.

Butte County’s behavioral health director, Scott Kennelly, told Action News Now that care court wouldn’t be as extreme as some think. No one is pulling the mentally ill off the streets and locking them up in a hospital.

The process requires a petitioner to request court-ordered treatment on behalf of someone who is schizophrenic or has a psychotic disorder. Petitioners can only be spouses, family …