Loudoun Launches Adult Behavioral Health Docket in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court

This is a press release from the Loudoun County government.

Loudoun County has received approval from the Virginia Supreme Court to establish an Adult Behavioral Health Docket in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, the first of its kind in Virginia for this type of court.

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The docket is designed to:

• Provide access to safe and effective treatment and supervision for eligible individuals in the community as an alternative to incarceration.
• Reduce the need for crisis services by enhancing the defendant’s access to behavioral health treatment.
• Reduce recidivism, or reoffending.

Individuals who will be eligible for the new docket, which launched July 1, 2026, include defendants in Loudoun’ s Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court who are 18 and older with a serious mental illness.

Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Presiding Judge, most recently the Chief Judge, Pamela Brooks said her experience as a judge has informed her support for the program. “In over 20 years on the bench, I have often seen adult children who are charged with committing domestic violence against a family member and the families are seeking mental health treatment for the adult child, not incarceration. This docket will provide a resource to someone who is suffering a behavioral health issue without handling it in the criminal justice system to the extent possible,” Brooks said.

The Adult Behavioral Health Docket will receive support from several agencies, including the Loudoun County Departments of Community Corrections and Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and the Loudoun Office of the Public Defender.

The Adult Behavioral Health Docket in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court is Loudoun County’s fourth specialty docket and follows the successful implementation of three other dockets:

·Adult Recovery Court Docket: For eligible defendants in Circuit Court charged with or on probation for a non-violent felony and who are assessed as having a dependence on drugs or alcohol.

·Behavioral Health Docket: For eligible defendants in General District Court who are diagnosed with serious mental illness and/or a co-occurring disorder.

·Veterans Treatment Docket: For eligible defendants in General District Court in need of treatment for serious mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or co-occurring disorder.

More information about Loudoun County’s specialized court dockets and other programs and services offered by the Department of Community Corrections is online at loudoun.gov/CommunityCorrectionsPrograms.

More information about services available to individuals in Loudoun provided by the Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services is online at loudoun.gov/MHSADS.

This is a press release from the Loudoun County government.