Low or No Cost Legal and Mental Health Services

Finding low or no cost legal and mental health services in the Phoenix metro area can be very frustrating when you make too much money to qualify for Community Legal Services and Arizona Medicaid (AHCCCS). Sliding fee scales for legal and mental health services are meaningless when they tell you that your “affordable” fee will be $70.00 per session! Listed below are low or no cost legal and mental health services that are currently accepting clients/patients, provide real help, and charge low fees (typically $12.00 or less per session) regardless of income. Arizona Justice Center provides free legal counseling, marriage and family counseling, and addiction counseling. Call them at (623) 847 – 2772, e-mail them at AzJusticeCenter@gmail.com or visit their website at www.azjusticecenter.org Arizona Legal Center helps answer a vital question: “Do I have a case?” Here is how they describe their free legal services on their website: “The lawyers at the Legal Triage Program will vet your case for possible claims, defenses, and remedies, then identify possible resolutions or strategic options and provide appropriate referrals and resources for legal or other assistance in the community to help with matters that are found to be valid and viable.” Originally seen published on http://www.arizonalegalcenter.org/services.html The Arizona State University Counselor Training Center provides low cost mental health therapy for people residing in the Phoenix metro area. Here is a description of their services from their online brochure: “Counseling services are tailored to the concerns presented by the client, which might include but are not limited to:

• depression
• anxiety
• personal problems
• relationships
• family problems
• career counseling
• life transitions

  Clients are assigned to a counselor and scheduled for standing one-hour weekly appointments for the duration of the semester. Depending on when a client initiates services, he or she could receive up to 12 weeks of services. Counselors and clients work collaboratively to determine whether additional counseling is needed at the end of the semester.” Call them at (480) 965 – 5067, e-mail them at ctc@asu.edu or visit their website at www.cis.asu.edu/ctc. Maricopa Integrated Health Care Systems runs the Desert Vista Outpatient Clinic which accepts patients based on medical need. Here is how they describe their services on their website: “The Desert Vista Outpatient Clinic provides comprehensive assessment and treatment to individuals experiencing difficulties related to psychiatric, psychological or emotional problems. We treat both adults and children in the Desert Vista Outpatient Clinic. Our services include intensive individual psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy and medication management (if applicable). The clinic does not offer substance abuse treatment.” Call them at (480) 355 – 2100 for more information. The free or low cost legal services above do not handle criminal cases. If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges, you need an experienced attorney who has reasonable rates. Attorney Gary Rohlwing has over thirty years experience and charges reasonable rates. Call him today for a free consultation.

The blog post Low or No Cost Legal and Mental Health Services is republished from Blog of Gary L Rohlwing

Law Offices of Gary L Rohlwing

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(623) 937-1692

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from http://www.criminal-duiattorney.com/blog/law-offices-gary-rohlwing/low-or-no-cost-legal-and-mental-health-services-2/

Maricopa County Diversion Programs

On April 9, 2018, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced the creation of a Diversion Programs Bureau that will administer and monitor diversion programs.  The following information is from a Maricopa County Attorney’s Office News Release dated April 9, 2018 https://www.maricopacountyattorney.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=490 “Diversion programs offer our prosecutors another option to help seek justice and reduce crime, said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “Our success is not achieved through simply tracking wins or losses, which we do not do, but rather we measure success by seeking justice for the victims, the offender and our community. Programs like diversion allow eligible offenders a chance to stay in their communities while learning the skills to stop the cycle that may cause them to reoffend in the future”   Each case is reviewed by a prosecutor and part of the review includes identifying offenders who would benefit from a diversion program instead of traditional prosecution through the courts.  Offenders who choose to go through diversion can have their charges dismissed or not filed at all upon successful completion of the program.   The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office offers the following diversion programs:  TASC (drug diversion), child abuse/excessive punishment, Felony Pretrial Intervention, Non-drug diversion, bad check writing, and juvenile.  You can read about TASC in previous blog posts. The following information about the other diversion programs comes from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Deferred Prosecution Program Annual Report, 2016-17, issued on August 8, 2017.  https://www.maricopacountyattorney.org/DocumentCenter/View/513/MCAO-Deferred-Prosecution-Program-Annual-Report-2016-2017-PDF   Child abuse/excessive punishment diversion is available to parents and guardians who are first-time offenders with no DCS history who use excessive force in disciplining a child that causes only minor injury and are facing a charge of child abuse or a similar offense.  If they successfully complete the program, they can avoid having charges filed against them.   The Felony Pretrial Intervention Program began in July 2015.  It is offered to felony offenders with minimal criminal history who are at low risk to reoffend.  The offender is referred to a community treatment provider who develops an individualized treatment program targeting the offender’s specific needs.  Program length will vary because this is not a “one size fits all” approach. An offender who successfully completes the program will avoid a felony conviction.  The program goals are to reduce recidivism and direct limited resources to offenders who need significant intervention by the criminal justice system.   Non-drug diversion is done through Sage Counseling and TASC.  It usually provides programs for offenders who require general “life skills” training, anger management counseling, and drug and alcohol awareness assistance.   Bad check writing diversion allows an offender to pay the balance of the bad check in full before criminal charges are filed.  The money order or cashier’s check for the full amount is paid to the MCAO Check Enforcement Program, not the merchant or person(s) who received the bad check.   Juvenile Probation Diversion is available for juvenile offenders who have first and second misdemeanors and first time drug-related offenses.  The first or second referral for diversion is handled by the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department and the referrals will not be prosecuted by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.   Depending on the facts of your case, you may qualify for diversion and avoid a felony conviction.  You need an experienced defense attorney to help you get into diversion. Attorney Gary Rohlwing has over three decades experience dealing with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.  Call him today for a free consultation.

Maricopa County Diversion Programs is courtesy of Law Practice - Gary Rohlwing

Law Offices of Gary L Rohlwing

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from http://www.criminal-duiattorney.com/blog/law-offices-gary-rohlwing/maricopa-county-diversion-programs/

TASC Diversion Program

If you are charged with a first or second felony drug possession crime in Maricopa County, you are probably eligible for the Treatment Assessment Screening Center (TASC) diversion program.  TASC diversion gives you an opportunity to avoid having a felony conviction for drug possession. Below is more information taken directly from their website at www.tascsolutions.org:ty “With an average success rate of 75 percent, a long-term study by Arizona State University indicates that participants successfully completing the TASC adult diversion program have a significantly lower rate of recidivism than non-participants. To date, more than 34,000 successful cases have been treated through TASC Diversion, saving county resources and allowing participants to avoid a felony conviction. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) offers TASC Diversion to individuals who:

1. Face felony drug possession charge(s)
2. Do NOT contest their guilt
3. Would likely benefit from a community treatment program

Through close communication with the MCAO, TASC’s deferred prosecution program provides programming to meet each individual’s needs. Those who voluntarily participate and successfully complete TASC Diversion will either have the case dropped with no charges filed or have the charges dismissed with prejudice.” The website then discusses their possession of marijuana and possession of a narcotic or dangerous drug programs: “POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA PROGRAM Those dealing with marijuana charges will take part in the Possession of Marijuana program for up to six months. This includes drug screening, education and counseling.

3-Hour Drug Education Seminar

Clients are required to attend the drug education seminar one time.

Substance Abuse Counseling

If a client shows a new usage for marijuana or tests positive for any other illegal substance (including prescription drugs that are not verified with a valid prescription), the client will be referred for substance abuse counseling assessment and services (group or individual sessions). POSSESSION OF NARCOTIC OR DANGEROUS DRUGS PROGRAM Individuals enrolled in the Possession of Narcotic or Dangerous Drugs program participate for at least one year and have monthly contact with case managers. This program includes screening, education, counseling and self-help meetings.

3-Hour Drug Education Seminar

Clients are required to attend the drug education seminar one time.

Substance Abuse Counseling

Individuals will be referred for substance abuse counseling assessment and services (group or individual sessions) while in the program. All clients must successfully complete substance abuse counseling.

Self-Help/Support Group Meetings

Clients must attend 12-step meetings with AA, NA, CMA or a similar organization. Meetings are held seven days a week and are free to attend. Clients are not restricted to a certain meeting (e.g., if they have a cocaine charge, the client doesn’t have to attend NA) and are encouraged to try different options until they feel comfortable with one. TASC recommends clients obtain a sponsor for additional support when needed.

Monthly Contact

Each person who enters the program is assigned a case manager. Throughout the duration of the program, clients are required to maintain monthly contact with case managers to discuss meeting program requirements. Depending on the client’s progress and his or her proximity to the assigned case manager, phone or email contact may be acceptable options. Besides monitoring and tracking client involvement, the case manager is also a source of support and provides community referrals as needed.” Should you agree to TASC diversion?  Only an experienced attorney can help you answer that question.  Attorney Gary Rohlwing has over three decades of experience. Please call him today for a free consultation.

TASC Diversion Program Read more on: LawOfficesGaryRohlwing

Law Offices of Gary L Rohlwing

7112 N 55th Ave

Glendale, AZ 85301

(623) 937-1692

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from http://www.criminal-duiattorney.com/blog/law-offices-gary-rohlwing/tasc-diversion-program/

Planet Defendant: Diplomacy

Diplomacy is a lost art both in science fiction and the real world. The Star Trek and Star Wars movies deal with the results of failed diplomacy: armed conflicts and wars. In the real world, we see more and more failures of diplomacy in our country. One example is our fractured political process where Democrats and Republicans want to bully each other instead of engaging in diplomacy to solve pressing problems. If you try to represent yourself after being charged with a crime, you will have to be a diplomat on Planet Defendant. You will have to diplomatically interact with a prosecutor, a judge, and court personnel. If you go to trial, you will have to diplomatically interact with witnesses and a jury. “Diplomatically interact” means that you must advocate on your own behalf without angering, confusing or alienating anyone. Before trial, the most important person is the prosecutor. The prosecutor decides what to charge and whether or not to offer a plea agreement. The prosecutor is a human being with feelings like everyone else. Bullying or blowing your top in person or via email is not diplomatic. You run a huge risk that the prosecutor will take offense and refuse to change a plea or offer a plea at all. The prosecutor’s offense probably would spill over and infect your trial resulting in a guilty verdict with a stiff sentence. Another important area of pretrial diplomacy concerns the judge. The judge may issue pretrial orders such as requiring your appearance at court dates or requiring you to be fingerprinted. You may find these orders silly, inconvenient, and/or confusing. That’s no excuse to ignore them. You must diplomatically obey the judge’s pretrial orders. It may be tempting to vent your feelings on court personnel.  Don’t do it! Court personnel are there to process defendants and paperwork through the criminal justice system.  They are not therapists or friends. You must deal with them diplomatically. Interviewing witnesses before trial requires an intense level of diplomacy. It’s intense because every witness is unique and has his or her own attitude towards you and testifying. Some witnesses want to help you and don’t mind testifying. Others don’t want to be interviewed and don’t want to testify. You will need all the diplomacy you can muster to deal with these witnesses. At trial, the judge will expect you to perform as if you really are a defense attorney. Your diplomacy before the judge will be on display to the jury and the prosecutor. The prosecutor will probably do something in his or her presentation of the case that will irritate, anger, and/or confuse you which will require more diplomacy on your part. The jury ultimately is the most important because they will decide your guilt or innocence. As with witnesses, every juror is unique and has his or her own attitude towards jury duty and your case.  You must diplomatically balance your dual roles of defendant and defense attorney before the jury. Diplomacy when representing yourself can be frustrating, stressful and exhausting.  You need an experienced defense attorney who will be your diplomat throughout the process.  Attorney Gary Rohlwing has over three decades of experience being a diplomat in the Arizona criminal justice system.  Please call him today for a free consultation.

The blog post Planet Defendant: Diplomacy See more on: Blog

Law Offices of Gary L Rohlwing

7112 N 55th Ave

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(623) 937-1692

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from http://www.criminal-duiattorney.com/blog/uncategorized/planet-defendant-diplomacy/