SC Chief Justice Beatty Recognizes Need for Mental Health Court

Chief Justice Donald Beatty of South Carolina has recognized the need for a mental health court in Anderson County to redirect individuals with mental illnesses away from jails. He issued an order this week appointing Judge Cordell Maddox to oversee the Anderson Mental Health Court, with Judge Lawton McIntosh serving as the alternate. The initiative, prompted by David Wagner, the 10th circuit solicitor, aims to establish the necessary administrative structure and appoint a lead judge for the program. Defendants diagnosed with mental illness may join the program with the solicitor’s consent.