Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed a major victory for his mental health court program, CARE Court, this week, stating it has helped 10,000+ Californians get the support they need. However, state data shows the program has reached only 1,470 people with treatment agreements or plans as of June.
CARE Court, introduced in March 2022, aims to provide mental health treatment to Californians with serious conditions. The administration’s most recent data indicates that 4,887 people engaged with the program but did not receive a formal treatment agreement or plan, instead receiving services outside the program.
The administration’s initial projections estimated that 7,000 to 12,000 people would qualify for the program. However, the number of people enrolled in treatment agreements or plans continues to fall short of that goal. A CalMatters investigation in September 2025 found that only 528 people had been enrolled in CARE agreements or plans, with many struggling despite enrollment.
A new state report shows that people who use CARE Court are experiencing better housing outcomes and increased access to mental health treatment and medication. Katia Benthale, deputy public defender for Ventura County, said in a news release, “I’ve had clients say, ‘This is the longest I haven’t been arrested,’ and that gives me goosebumps.”
Rodger Butler, a spokesperson for the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, said CARE Court has reached more than 10,000 people by adding together the 5,484 petitions filed as of June and the 4,887 people who first engaged with the program but received services elsewhere. However, he acknowledged that this method could double-count individuals and includes those whose petitions were dismissed or are still being processed.
Advocates continue to criticize the program. Gigi Crowder, chief executive of NAMI Contra Costa, said families whose loved ones live with untreated serious mental illnesses are not being served by CARE Court. “Those family members are still pretty frustrated because they thought it would be the answer and it has not been,” she said.
Disability rights advocates have also criticized CARE Court as a poor use of state funds and part of a larger trend toward forced treatment. They question the administration’s use of numbers to frame the program as a success.
