Tuscaloosa is looking to establish a mental health court inside the city's municipal court to help people get the treatment they need.
Mayor Walt Maddox said it would offer help to people who need it rather than sending them to jail.
Maddox appointed five people to a committee that would provide recommendations to help set up the court before the end of the year so that it would be operating by early 2022. The mayor said it is similar to other diversion programs that work with first-time offenders.