Findings and methodology are presented for a study that examined the effectiveness of a mental health court in reducing the risk of recidivism and violence by people with mental disorders who have been arrested.
In contrast to traditional court, mental health courts have therapeutic goals, such as increasing adherence to treatment and decreasing involvement in the criminal justice system. Although the structure of mental health courts varies among jurisdictions, common features include a separate docket for defendants with mental disorders; a designated judge, prosecutor, and defense counsel; and cooperative, joint decisionmaking that involves consultation among criminal justice and mental health professionals. Participation is voluntary, with defendants agreeing to follow a treatment plan and be monitored by the court as a condition of reducing a charge or sentencing. The current evaluation involved a review of administrative databases of the San Francisco county court and jail system. This involved 8,325 individuals 18 years old or older who were diagnosed as having a mental disorder upon entering the jail. A total of 172 persons entered the mental health court. The study involved the 1,780 of these individuals for whom complete data were available, including at least 6 months of follow-up. The comparison group consisted of the 8,067 persons with complete data who chose not to participate in mental health court. The study found that participation in the mental health court was associated with a longer time without any new criminal charges or new charges for violent crimes. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 31 references