XXI, Sec. 18 Confidentiality

Mental health court is designed to keep participants' personal information private. Court sessions and staff meetings about a person's case are closed to the public, unless the judge decides to allow someone in. This protects people from having sensitive details about their mental health exposed.

The paperwork in a person's mental health court file is also kept private. It's stored separately from the regular court file and can't be shared, except for certain documents listed in Section 19 of the rules. This keeps mental health records separate from other public court records.

Everyone who works on the mental health court team, like counselors, coordinators, and other staff, has to sign an agreement promising to keep this information confidential. They also have to follow state and federal laws that protect health treatment records. This means participants can trust that their treatment details won't be shared without proper legal reason.