Mental Health Unit

Vertical cases are assigned to mental health team comprised of attorneys, social workers, investigators, and paralegals.  These cases usually involve serious charges where a mental illness is prevalent. Our team represents the client from arraignment through sentencing.  The clients are usually diagnosed with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder, and the mental health component is so pervasive as it ultimately affects the strategy of the case. These cases can be in any courtroom of the Criminal Justice Center.

Common Pleas Mental Health Court is located in courtroom 902, Hon. Donna Woelpper, presiding. 

The program accepts clients pending trial and for various violation of probation hearings where the previous judge relinquishes jurisdiction to Judge Woelpper.  MHSDU attorneys make an application to the District Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office decides whether a client is accepted or rejected into the court.  Once accepted, the client will usually plead to lesser charges and treatment is a condition of their sentence. 

There are two probation officers permanently assigned to the Court who help facility compliance with treatment.  Clients can also be placed in Common Please Mental Health Court that are awaiting a trial in Common Pleas Court who are not competent.  Attorneys will status those cases in courtroom 902 until they regain competency. 

Our office represents all patients that are facing involuntary civil commitment hearings under the Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act.  These hearings take place at either Jefferson Hospital at Albert Einstein Medical Center or Girard Medical Center. 

The hearings are heard by a Mental Health Review Office and brought by the hospital via the Philadelphia City Solicitor’s Office.  The Mental Health Review Officer listens to testimony to see if the patient is suffering from a mental illness and has exhibited behavior in the last thirty days that would indicate that the patient is a danger to themselves or others. 

Our unit represents clients who are currently in local custody on State Road and gravely ill with usually less than six months to live.