46-1-1211. Treatment and support services. (1) As part of a diagnostic assessment, each jurisdiction shall establish a system to ensure that participants are placed into a clinically approved mental health treatment program. To accomplish this, the program conducting the individual assessment shall make specific recommendations to the mental health treatment court team regarding the type of treatment program and duration necessary so that a participant's individualized needs are addressed. The assessments and recommendations must be based upon evidence-based treatment principles. The mental health treatment court and governmental entities that refer an offender to a mental health treatment court shall adopt an evidence-based program evaluation tool that measures how closely the mental health treatment court programs meet the known principles of effective intervention. The tool must measure program content and capacity to ensure the delivery of effective interventions for offenders. Treatment recommendations accepted by the mental health treatment court pursuant to this part must be considered to be reasonable and necessary and be evidence-based or research-driven.

(2) An adequate continuum of care for participants must be established in response to this part.

(3) The mental health treatment court shall, when practicable, ensure that one agency may not provide both assessment and treatment services for the mental health treatment court to avoid potential conflicts of interest or the appearance that a diagnostic assessment agency might benefit by determining that a participant is in need of the particular form of treatment that the agency provides.

(4) A mental health treatment court making a referral for mental health services or substance abuse treatment shall refer the participant to a program that is licensed, certified, or approved by the court.

(5) The court shall determine which treatment programs are authorized to provide the recommended treatment to participants. The relationship between the treatment program and the court must be governed by a memorandum of understanding, which must include the timely reporting of the participant's progress or lack of progress to the mental health treatment court.