Nominations Are Open for the Judge Stephen S. Goss Leadership Awards

Last year, the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI) established two leadership awards in honor of the late Judge Stephen S. Goss. These awards acknowledge Judge Goss’s tireless efforts to rethink how judges handle cases for defendants with behavioral health needs.

This year, the Judge Stephen S. Goss Memorial Awards will be presented to one judge and one psychiatrist who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in improving the lives of people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system. Nominations must be submitted by April 4, 2022, and winners will be announced in May at the Second Annual JPLI Leadership Summit.

Addressing the needs of people with behavioral health conditions is core to the mission of the JPLI. The initiative was established to help judges and psychiatrists across the U.S. work in concert to improve the lives of some of our society’s most vulnerable people. We at The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation welcome the opportunity to highlight the many ways judges and psychiatrists are demonstrating leadership through this award, whether by recognizing someone who has helped make needed connections to treatment or someone who has pursued broader policy changes. Award recipients will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of judges, psychiatrists, and people with lived experience in the behavioral health and criminal justice systems.

Last year’s winners included psychiatrist, Dr. Kristen Ochoa, for her work addressing competency to stand trial in the community; retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton for her dedication to addressing the role of the courts in supporting individuals with serious mental illness; and psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Munetz, for his work on the Sequential Intercept Model that has revolutionized diversion practices.

# # #

About the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative:

The Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative is a partnership between The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation; it aims to stimulate, support, and enhance efforts by judges and psychiatrists to improve judicial, community, and systemic responses to people with behavioral health needs involved in the justice system.

About Judge Stephen S. Goss:

Judge Goss served on the Superior Court of the Dougherty Judicial Circuit in Georgia for 19 years. During that time, he founded the Dougherty Superior Court Mental Health/Substance Abuse treatment program, where he presided until he was appointed to serve as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia in 2018. Judge Goss was also a regular contributor to the JPLI’s work. In addition to his leadership in his home state of Georgia, he traveled the country to provide training on behavioral health to judges.