Jesse Scheckner
Broward Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren’s decades of work in mental health law earned her special recognition this week.
At its 10th Annual South Florida Behavioral Health Conference, the county’s United Way chapter bestowed her its Community Champion of Mental Health Award in recognition of her efforts to advance mental health and justice reform.
Chief Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips of the 17th Judicial Circuit called the honors “a well-deserved recognition of” Lerner-Wren’s “continuous efforts for mental health advocacy.”
In 1997, she became the inaugural Judge of Broward County’s Mental Health Court, one of the first specialized courts of its kind in the United States. Her pioneering work provided a new judicial model focused on treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment for individuals with mental illness charged with misdemeanors, a press note from the 17th Judicial Circuit said.
Lerner-Wren’s influence extends beyond the courtroom. In 2002, then-President George W. Bush appointed her to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, where she chaired the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, helping to shape national mental health policy.
Other related honors on Lerner-Wren’s mantle include accolades from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Lerner-Wren said Thursday that her most recent honor “belongs to a courageous community.”
“For me, Broward’s Misdemeanor Mental Health Court will always stand as a symbol of hope,” she said. “It represents our belief that individuals living with mental illness and co-occurring disorders deserve access to behavioral health treatment, dignity, and compassion — not incarceration.”
Lerner-Wren continues to serve as a county court Judge in the 17th Judicial Circuit, the second-largest judicial circuit in Florida. She also speaks nationally and internationally on topics including problem-solving courts, cultural change leadership, mental health courts, therapeutic jurisprudence and legal innovation.
In 2018, she published “A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America’s First Mental Health Court” about how the court developed as an offshoot from her criminal division during lunch hours, without the aid of federal funding.
The book holds a 4.9 rating out of 5 stars on Amazon and features many positive testimonials, including one from Saturday Night Live alum Darrell Hammond, who likened Lerner-Wren’s contributions to the quality of life of people with mental health challenges to “that of the Wright brothers’ contribution to modern flight.”
The new award is welcome news for the circuit, which has attracted negative headlines in recent months as multiple members of the judiciary have fallen under scrutiny for misconduct on and off the bench.
