San Francisco (CA) Behavioral Health Court
Problems addressed
Recidivism
Violent crimes
Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Adults (18 to 59 years)
Where the program was applied
Courts of justice
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a program developed by the San Francisco Mental Health Court, which specializes in the care of individuals with mental disorders who are in conflict with the law.
The objectives are:
1) To refer criminal defendants with serious mental illness for treatment;
2) To find legal remedies for their charges that take mental illness into account; and
3) To reduce the risk of criminal recidivism.
Participants receive an integrated treatment plan developed by a team of court and mental health professionals. Participants are required to attend hearings regularly, and the judge monitors treatment progress. Incentives are offered to reward adherence to treatment, and sanctions may be applied for noncompliance.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation revealed a statistically significant 26% reduction in the likelihood of participants who received the intervention being charged with a new crime, a 55% reduction in the likelihood of being charged with a new violent crime, and an increase in the time to a new violent crime, when compared to participants who did not receive the intervention [1].
The study had a quasi-experimental design with a sample of psychiatric patients seen by the court during its first 22 months of operation [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] McNiel, D. E. & Binder, R. L. (2007). Effectiveness of a mental health court in reducing criminal recidivism and violence. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(9), 1395–1403. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.06101664

Information source