Three of Collin County's specialty courts would run on $932,691 in state grant money this year under items posted for the Commissioners Court's Oct. 26 meeting.
All three awards come from the Office of the Governor's Criminal Justice Division, cover Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027, and require no county match, according to the budget office's requests to accept them.
The three courts
- Adult Mental Health Court, $529,053. The money supports a pretrial diversion program for people with a mental illness or intellectual disability, run by the 219th District Court in collaboration with County Court at Law No. 3, the auditor's notice says.
- Juvenile Mental Health Court, $202,929.
- Veteran Treatment Court, $200,709. The notice describes it as a second chance for veterans whose crimes are tied to injuries from their military service, using a judge-supervised team to get participants treatment for the substance use, medical or behavioral problems behind their offenses.
The same agenda gives the adult mental health court time for a presentation on its accomplishments and activities, listed under the 493rd District Court.
The county describes the adult program as an alternative to jail that links people with mental illness who are in the justice system to treatment, supervision and community support. In a September message for Suicide Prevention Month, Judge Jennifer Edgeworth, who presides over it, said that "early connection to appropriate resources can make a meaningful difference, particularly during times of crisis."
Other grant items
Commissioners will also consider accepting $66,141.52 from the governor's office for rifle-resistant body armor for the Sheriff's Office, again with no county match, and applying for the state's fiscal 2027 indigent defense formula grant, which helps pay for lawyers for people who cannot afford one. The county received $538,071 from that program for fiscal 2026; this year's amount has not been calculated, the request says.
A separate notice trims the county's fiscal 2026 public health infrastructure grant by $118,369, leaving a total award of $495,309 through Nov. 30.
The court meets at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, on the fourth floor of the Jack Hatchell Administration Building, 2300 Bloomdale Road in McKinney.
