Admission to SAMI Court

An application/referral to SAMI Court can be obtained by visiting the Specialty Courts Office, located on the 3rd floor of the General Services Center, 315 High Street, Hamilton, OH, 45011, or by printing one out Application/Referral for Specialty Courtsand submitting it to the Specialty Courts Office.

An offender can be referred to SAMI Court from the time of arrest, until final disposition of the case.  However, after an application/referral has been received by the Specialty Courts Office, the actual screening for SAMI Court will not begin until the offender has either pled or been convicted of a felony offense.

An offender can be admitted into SAMI Court by four methods: 

1. Plea and Sentencing
2. Probation Violation
3. Judicial Release
4. Conditional Release after (NGRI)

Plea and Sentencing

• Pretrial Services will conduct an initial interview in order to evaluate any possible mental illness and substance abuse concerns.  Pretrial Services will then notify the Specialty Courts Office that the offender has been screened and is preliminarily eligible for SAMI Court.  The Specialty Courts Office will then notify the offender’s attorney of the initial eligibility.

• If the offender has been referred by the defense attorney, or as a probation violation, an application/referral must be submitted to the Specialty Courts Office.

• At the time a guilty plea is entered, a substance abuse/mental health assessment will be scheduled with a SAMI counselor; and the offender will then sign the form: Application for Voluntary Admission Consent to Treat.

• The offender will then be scheduled for a diagnostic assessment with the staff psychologist.  After the offender has met with the psychologist, the SAMI team will convene in order to form a recommendation as to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court. 

• The Sentencing Judge will then receive written information in reference to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court.  The Sentencing Judge will make the final decision as to whether the offender enters SAMI Court as a condition of community control.

Probation Violation

• If the offender has been referred by the defense attorney, or as a probation violator, an application/referral must be submitted to the Specialty Courts Office.  The probation officer will be notified that an application/referral to SAMI Court has been submitted.

• A substance abuse/mental health assessment will be scheduled with a SAMI counselor; and the offender will then sign the form: Application for Voluntary Admission Consent to Treat.

• The offender will then be scheduled for a diagnostic assessment with the staff psychologist.  After the offender has met with the psychologist, the SAMI team will convene in order to form a recommendation as to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court. 

• The Sentencing Judge will then receive written information in reference to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court.  The Sentencing Judge will make the final decision as to whether the offender enters SAMI Court as a condition of community control.

Judicial Release

• An application/referral must be submitted to the Specialty Courts Office.  The offender must be amenable to community control (i.e. not serving mandatory time). 

• A substance abuse/mental health assessment will be scheduled with a SAMI counselor; and the offender will then sign the form: Application for Voluntary Admission Consent to Treat.

• The offender will then be scheduled for a diagnostic assessment with the staff psychologist.  After the offender has met with the psychologist, the SAMI team will convene in order to form a recommendation as to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court. 

• The Sentencing Judge will then receive written information in reference to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court.  The Sentencing Judge will make the final decision as to whether the offender enters SAMI Court as a condition of the Judicial Release.

Conditional Release after (NGRI)

• Once the offender has successfully discharged from a psychiatric inpatient facility, an application/referral must be submitted to the Specialty Courts Office. 

• At the time a guilty plea is entered, a substance abuse/mental health assessment will be scheduled with a SAMI counselor; and the offender will then sign the form: Application for Voluntary Admission Consent to Treat.

• The offender will then be scheduled for a diagnostic assessment with the staff psychologist.  After the offender has met with the psychologist, the SAMI team will convene in order to form a recommendation as to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court. 

• The Sentencing Judge will then receive written information in reference to the offender’s eligibility for SAMI Court.  The Sentencing Judge will make the final decision as to whether the offender enters SAMI Court as a condition of community control.