At the end of the week, state Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady, hosted the latest in a series of roundtable events tackling mental health challenges in the Florida legal and law enforcement systems.
Moody and Canady were joined at the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee by judges and experts from across the state to weigh in on mental health and strategies to lower recidivism, increase public safety and cut down on taxpayer expenses.
“I am encouraged by today’s round table discussion and hopeful the information and strategies shared will help ensure that we are doing everything possible to effectively address mental health issues, reduce recidivism and increase public safety. I especially want to thank Chief Justice Canady for his participation and passion, and for hosting us at the Florida Supreme Court today,” Moody said Friday, after the event.
“We appreciate the chance to share the important work happening in mental health courts around the state,” Canady added. “Attorney General Moody’s interest in how courts are addressing the needs of individuals who appear in mental health courts was a great opportunity for our judges to be a part of a larger constructive conversation on these challenges.”
This was just the latest roundtable Moody has held working with judges across the state this summer. She kicked the series off in Tampa back in May focusing on mental health issues, including suicide, impacting law enforcement officers across the Sunshine State. Moody also tackled recidivism and mental health at a roundtable event in West Palm Beach. She also focused on mental health and the legal system in Bay County.
Based out of the Tampa Bay area, Moody served an assistant U.S. attorney before being elected to Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, covering Hillsborough County, back in 2006. With the support of retiring Attorney General Pam Bondi, Moody won the Republican primary last year and defeated Democrat Sean Shaw 52 percent to 46 percent in November.
