Judge Ginger Lerner Wren: Mental Health Courts & Repairing the World
Cutting Edge Law Categories:
Court Innovation and Problem Solving Courts
Topics:
Juvenile/Criminal Justice
Topics:
Courts and Judiciary
Judge Ginger Lerner Wren pioneered mental health courts which she says are a human rights effort based upon a shift in consciousness.
In Part 1, Judge Ginger Lerner Wren talks about the "desperation" that led to founding the mental health court in Broward County, Florida.
Part 2: In this part, she talks about being under the microscope of the press with the new mental health court. She distinguishes that "personhood" is the primary message of the court and how that someone who is ill and in need of medical care could find themselves in jail is the most appalling human rights violation she could imagine.
Part 3: Twelve years later, over 7,000 individuals have been diverted through the Broward County Court. She shares some of the stories in this segment and talks about the challenges and rewards of doing this work of social justice from the bench.
Part 4: In this segment, she talks about her path in the law - from a successful commercial real estate practice to being a pioneer in mental health courts, matching her humanistic desires with the practice of law.