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Sabrina
Rhinehart
Mental Health Advocate
Alicia Thomas
Senior Staff Attorney
Charles Hess
Staff Attorney
Susan
Myrick
Paralegal
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Office of the Mental
Health Advocate
225 Peachtree Street
Suite 900, South Tower
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 739-5151
(800) 676-4432
Fax: (404) 651-5706
Contact
Us
Site
Design by Arno
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Office of the Mental Health Advocate (OMHA)
monitors cases in Georgia involving pleas of Not Guilty by
Reason of Insanity (NGRI) pursuant to O.C.G.A. §l7-l2-45.
We are notified of every case where an individual is found
NGRI and we contact the local attorney at that time. Depending
on the needs of the case and the local attorney, we will
monitor the defendant's progress at the state hospital and
maintain contact with the treating professionals and the
attorney. When possible, the original attorney should continue
representation. The statute does authorize us to directly
represent these individuals and we try to do so when the
local attorney is unable to.
The
statute also allows for our participation in cases prior
to the finding of NGRI. Our primary role in these cases
is as a resource. Some of our activities and resources
include:
- research
available on various issues relating to mental illness
- lists
of psychologists and psychiatrists who perform mental
health evaluations
- other
mental health information
- information
on community placements for residential and day treatment
programs
- other
placement options
- masters
level social work students available to help on these
issues
- a
sounding board
- speak
to groups of lawyers and mental health professionals
dealing with these issues
- sample
motions, orders and other pleadings
- mental
health bench book
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| Our
Mission
The Office of the Mental Health Advocate (OMHA)
was created by statute in 1996 to provide services
to attorneys representing criminal defendants with
mental health challenges. OMHA monitors cases in
Georgia involving pleas of Not Guilty by Reason
of Insanity (NGRI) and it directly represents a limited
number of insanity acquittees. We provide
services state-wide as a way of assisting attorneys,
the hospitals, and the courts in criminal cases involving
mentally ill defendants. |
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