A beloved judge who launched a powerful treatment court movement, but later took his own life, was honored Friday at a virtual event described as the world's largest conference on addiction, mental health and justice reform.

Judge Stephen Goss served on the bench for more than 20 years, mostly in the South Georgia city of Albany, where he hosted visitors from around the state and the country, who came to watch and learn about the accountability court he started and presided over that helped people suffering from addictions and mental health challenges avoid prison and regain their lives.

Former Gov. Nathan Deal used the court Goss started as inspiration to encourage the formation of accountability courts that spread across the state and became a national model. Deal appointed Goss to the Georgia Court of Appeals in August 2018. But only a year after moving up to the intermediate appellate court, Goss was found dead of a gunshot wound in the woods behind his home. Police ruled the death a suicide.

"Today at #RISE20 Virtual, we posthumously inducted Judge Stephen Goss into the Treatment Court Hall of Fame," the National Association of Drug Court Professionals announced via Twitter. "He was a pioneer who founded the first mental health court in Georgia. His leadership, kindness, and boundless service live on in the lives he touched."

The tweet was shared by a former colleague who has since moved up to the high court, Georgia Supreme Justice Carla Wong McMillian. "I miss my friend and former colleague Judge Steve Goss but am glad to see that his legacy lives on," she said.

Goss grew up on his family's farm in Sale City, Mitchell County, Georgia, according to a biography published on the Court of Appeals website. He graduated in 1983 from the University of Georgia with a B.A., cum laude, majoring in political science. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law with a J.D., also cum laude, in 1986. Before becoming a judge, he was a partner in the Albany law firms of Watson, Spence, Lowe and Chambless, and Cannon, Meyer von Bremen and Goss.

In 2002, Goss founded the Dougherty Superior Court Mental Health/Substance Abuse treatment program—the first felony mental health court in Georgia and one of the early felony programs in the United States. He participated in a small work group that helped to develop the national essential elements guide for mental health court programs. Since 2006, the Dougherty Superior Court program has served as one of four national Learning Sites for mental health courts as designated by the United States Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Council of State Governments.

Goss served on state committees on mental health by appointment of former Gov. Sonny Perdue and Deal.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton put the spotlight on mental health concerns—even inside his own ranks—in the annual State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the Georgia General Assembly in the House Chamber in February.

"In addition to dealing with the behavioral health of people coming into our criminal justice system, I am also concerned about the mental health of our judges and lawyers," Melton said then. "Our own dirty secret is that the job of dealing with society's problems, in addition to our own, sometimes takes its toll. We are often not healthy ourselves."

Melton commended the State Bar of Georgia and law schools for reaching out with confidential services and counseling related to depression, stress, alcohol and drug abuse. "Mental health issues affect us all, either directly or indirectly," Melton said. He announced the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism will convene a suicide awareness program.