Axis
Criminal Justice
Social Reintegration
Problems addressed
Recidivism

Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

¿Quieres saber más acerca de esta clasificación? Consulte nuestro manual metodológico.

Description

“Specialized Mental Health Courts” are criminal courts with specialized jurisdiction that were created to help deal with people accused of having committed a crime and who have a diagnosis, or a strong suspicion, of mental health problems and related issues.
These courts operate in different ways depending on the country and are increasingly being used in Canada and the United States as a way to reduce contact with the criminal justice system for people with serious mental health conditions.
Specialized Mental Health Courts foster, instead of incarceration, the referral of such individuals to rehabilitation programs, services, and treatments aimed at reducing recidivism of and other negative outcomes caused by individuals with mental health disorders.

Country of application
  • United States
Evidence

A meta-analysis compiled 30 studies conducted between 1997 and 2020 evaluating the impact of Mental Health Courts on recidivism by adults and juveniles with mental health problems in the United States. The weighted results indicate that participation in this type of court corresponds to a 74% reduction in recidivism [1].
The strength of the effects of these courts is similar for adult and juvenile participants, and is stable across different monitoring periods, study design characteristics, and prior offense history. Gender and race/ethnicity were controlled in the analyses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
Another systematic review found that these services appear to be effective to identify offenders with mental disorders and refer them to treatment (when an offending behavior suggests the presence of mental illness), which would appear to generate a positive impact on criminal justice outcomes (less recidivism) [6].

Bibliography

[1] Fox, B., Miley, L. N., Kortright, K. E. y Wetsman, R. J. (2021). Assessing the Effect of Mental Health Courts on Adult and Juvenile Recidivism: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 46(4), 644–664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-021-09629-6

[2] Cross, B. (2011). Mental Health Courts Effectiveness in Reducing Recidivism and Improving Clinical Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis [thesis]. University of South Florida. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/3052/

[3] Lee, S., Aos, S., Drake, E., Pennucci, A., Miller, M., Anderson, L. y Burley, M. (2012). Return on Investment: Evidence-Based Options to Improve Statewide Outcomes. Technical Appendix; Methods and User-Manual (Documents núm. 11-07-1201B). Olympia, WA. Washington State Institute for Public Policy. https://www.wsipp.wa.gov/ReportFile/1387/Wsipp_Return-on-Investment-Evi…

[4] Sarteschi, C. M., Vaughn, M. G. y Kim, K. (2011). Assessing the effectiveness of mental health courts: A quantitative review. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.11.003

[5] Utah Criminal Justice Center. (2012). Mental Health Court for Adult Offenders: Technical Report. Salt Lake City, Utah: The University of Utah, Utah Criminal Justice Center. https://socialwork.utah.edu/_resources/documents/Mental-Health-Tech_v03…

[6] Scott, D. A., McGilloway, S., Dempster, M., Browne, F., & Donnelly, M. (2013). Effectiveness of criminal justice liaison and diversion services for offenders with mental disorders: a review. Psychiatric Services, 64(9), 843-849. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK159547/

Information Source

Evaluated cases

San Francisco (CA) Behavioral Health Court

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising
Problem type:
Recidivism, Violent crimes, Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Country:
United States
Open

Connections Program (San Diego, CA)

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

No Effect

.

.

.

.

.

No Effect
Problem type:
Recidivism
Country:
United States
Open

Rochester Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (R-FACT)

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising
Problem type:
Recidivism, Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Country:
United States
Open

Mental Health Courts (Multisite)

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising
Problem type:
Recidivism
Country:
United States
Open

Special Needs Diversionary Program (SNDP)

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising
Problem type:
Recidivism, Juvenile delinquency
Country:
United States
Open

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT)

Axis: Criminal Justice
Type: Specialized Mental Health Courts
Effectiveness:

Promising

.

.

.

.

.

Promising
Problem type:
Crime and delinquency (multiple types), Violent crimes
Country:
United States
Open

Why might the cases evaluated have different levels of effectiveness in relation to their respective type of solution?
Click here to understand why.

Some cases were not included in the evidence bank due to deficiencies detected in the methodology of their impact evaluations.
Click here to see the list

 

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