Rabun soon to receive mental health court

Multiple officials within Rabun County have often commented about the limited mental health resources our county has to offer.

Thanks to a recent unanimous vote by Habersham County Board of Commissioners Monday night, Rabun now will have some tools in its tool shed to help aid in mental health.

According to commissioners, the mental health court will be established within the Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Court system which will not only serve Rabun but Habersham and Stephens counties as well.

The court will be funded by a new mental-health grant.

The mission of the Mountain Judicial Circuit Accountability Courts is to enhance public safety through a coordinated effort of treatment and intense supervision within the judicial system by promoting abstinence, law-abiding behavior, compliance, and participation through intervention.

The goal, with mental health in mind, is to reduce the recidivism rate by offering the offender an alternative to incarceration and the tools to abstain from illegal activity through a combined effort of cost-effective measures that encourage the offender to become a productive and law-abiding citizen.