TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Apr 14, 2022

Nashville Mayor John Cooper today announced that the city will invest $600,000 to help vulnerable misdemeanor defendants access care outside of the criminal justice system, the Tennessean reports. General Sessions Court Judge Melissa Blackburn worked with District Attorney General Glenn Funk, Public Defender Martesha Johnson and a mayoral task force to find ways to help those caught in the “revolving door” of low-level charges, specifically those people struggling with mental health issues. The money will fund a one-year pilot program that involves collaboration between the courts, public health, medical professionals and the police department. Cooper called the investment the “first-of-its-kind” that will “be critical in getting people struggling with mental health conditions the services and aid they need…”