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Mental Health Court

What is Mental Health Court

  • Mental health courts only accept people with demonstrable mental illnesses that can be connected to the individual’s illegal behavior.
  • Participation in a mental health court is voluntary and the defendant must consent to involvement in the program.
  • Screening and referral to a mental health court should occur as soon as possible after arrest to insure early intervention.
  • Screening is also used to determine whether a mental health court can provide appropriate resources and support to the individual.
  • Mental health courts use a structure of case management based in intensive supervision/monitoring and individual accountability.
  • Case management is supervised by a team of professionals; teams are typically comprised of members of the justice system, mental health providers, and other support systems.
  • The judge oversees the treatment and supervision process and facilitates collaboration among team members. 

Are Mental Health Courts Effective

Most studies find that adult mental health courts have a positive effect on participants’ rehabilitation and criminal behavior during and after their participation. Specifically, studies have found that mental health court participants are significantly more likely to utilize treatment services, less likely to be rearrested, and spent fewer days in jail as opposed to nonparticipants. Studying the effectiveness of mental health courts can be challenging due to several factors including the difficulty of measuring the outcome of rehabilitative services and finding appropriate control groups. 

For more information click HERE https://www.courts.ca.gov/5982.htm

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