KFF Health News (12/28, Whitehead) reports mental health courts aim to divert people with mental illnesses from the criminal justice system, but they often struggle to fulfill this promise. According to critics, the diversion programs “are often expensive and resource-intensive, and serve fewer than 1% of the more than 2 million people who have a serious mental illness and are booked into U.S. jails each year.”
Additionally, “there is a lack of conclusive evidence on whether the courts help participants long-term.”
Related Links:
— “Mental Health Courts Can Struggle to Fulfill Decades-Old Promise,” Sam Whitehead, KFF Health News, December 28, 2023