Judge Steven Leifman

And within a few weeks, he was deported back because he was running around naked in the Orthodox sections of Jerusalem and they were afraid for his safety. So they sent him back to Miami where he became homeless and started cycling through our system.

And within a few weeks, he was deported back because he was running around naked in the Orthodox sections of Jerusalem and they were afraid for his safety. So they sent him back to Miami where he became homeless and started cycling through our system.

And within a few weeks, he was deported back because he was running around naked in the Orthodox sections of Jerusalem and they were afraid for his safety. So they sent him back to Miami where he became homeless and started cycling through our system.

I called this case. We had a great conversation. He ended up having a full-blown psychotic episode in court, screaming at the top of his lungs that his real parents had died in the Holocaust and this couple sitting in the back were from the CIA and they'd come to kill him.

I called this case. We had a great conversation. He ended up having a full-blown psychotic episode in court, screaming at the top of his lungs that his real parents had died in the Holocaust and this couple sitting in the back were from the CIA and they'd come to kill him.

I called this case. We had a great conversation. He ended up having a full-blown psychotic episode in court, screaming at the top of his lungs that his real parents had died in the Holocaust and this couple sitting in the back were from the CIA and they'd come to kill him.

And after ordering a battery of evaluations and adjudicating him incompetent to proceed, it turned out in Florida that because it was only a misdemeanor, I literally had no authority to get him help and I had to release him back to the street. Well, that was the beginning of my journey. And between those two incidents, I think I became the Forrest Gump of mental health.

And after ordering a battery of evaluations and adjudicating him incompetent to proceed, it turned out in Florida that because it was only a misdemeanor, I literally had no authority to get him help and I had to release him back to the street. Well, that was the beginning of my journey. And between those two incidents, I think I became the Forrest Gump of mental health.

And after ordering a battery of evaluations and adjudicating him incompetent to proceed, it turned out in Florida that because it was only a misdemeanor, I literally had no authority to get him help and I had to release him back to the street. Well, that was the beginning of my journey. And between those two incidents, I think I became the Forrest Gump of mental health.

I just started going through and trying to fix things the best I could, given the wonderful moral authority I had. To my great, pleasant surprise, it has far exceeded all of our expectations. We've been able to do some miracles because I have an amazing staff and an amazing community that has allowed me to make these structural changes that were so necessary.

I just started going through and trying to fix things the best I could, given the wonderful moral authority I had. To my great, pleasant surprise, it has far exceeded all of our expectations. We've been able to do some miracles because I have an amazing staff and an amazing community that has allowed me to make these structural changes that were so necessary.

I just started going through and trying to fix things the best I could, given the wonderful moral authority I had. To my great, pleasant surprise, it has far exceeded all of our expectations. We've been able to do some miracles because I have an amazing staff and an amazing community that has allowed me to make these structural changes that were so necessary.

I'm already working on that. It's not a crisis unit, but I appreciate you asking about it because it's fascinating. It is the first of its kind in the United States, possibly in the world. It is a one-stop shop for the most acutely ill that continuously cycle between the most acute systems of care, such as homelessness, jail, and hospitalization, both primary and psychiatric.

I'm already working on that. It's not a crisis unit, but I appreciate you asking about it because it's fascinating. It is the first of its kind in the United States, possibly in the world. It is a one-stop shop for the most acutely ill that continuously cycle between the most acute systems of care, such as homelessness, jail, and hospitalization, both primary and psychiatric.

I'm already working on that. It's not a crisis unit, but I appreciate you asking about it because it's fascinating. It is the first of its kind in the United States, possibly in the world. It is a one-stop shop for the most acutely ill that continuously cycle between the most acute systems of care, such as homelessness, jail, and hospitalization, both primary and psychiatric.

It's the old competency restoration facility. It's 181,000 square feet. And it's going to be a mental health diversion facility for that population. Just back up a little bit so your listeners understand the problem. When community mental health was designed in the United States, the most acutely ill were still in psychiatric hospitals.

It's the old competency restoration facility. It's 181,000 square feet. And it's going to be a mental health diversion facility for that population. Just back up a little bit so your listeners understand the problem. When community mental health was designed in the United States, the most acutely ill were still in psychiatric hospitals.

It's the old competency restoration facility. It's 181,000 square feet. And it's going to be a mental health diversion facility for that population. Just back up a little bit so your listeners understand the problem. When community mental health was designed in the United States, the most acutely ill were still in psychiatric hospitals.

Community mental health was designed for people with moderate mental illnesses, not acute. And so when we shut down the hospitals and we went to the war on crime and the war on drugs and we went to sentencing guidelines, and we massively cut housing back in the 80s, this population got thrown into communities, into community mental health systems that were never designed for them.

Community mental health was designed for people with moderate mental illnesses, not acute. And so when we shut down the hospitals and we went to the war on crime and the war on drugs and we went to sentencing guidelines, and we massively cut housing back in the 80s, this population got thrown into communities, into community mental health systems that were never designed for them.