Definition:
Mental Health Court is a specialized court docket for certain defendants with mental illness that substitutes a problem-solving model for traditional criminal court processing.
Mental Health Courts have been established in Michigan since the early 2000s and are rehabilitative as opposed to punitive in nature. Modeled after Drug and Sobriety Courts, Mental Health Courts were developed as a response to overrepresentation of mentally ill people in the criminal justice system. Empirical studies have shown Mental Health Courts to be more effective in lowering recidivism rates and helping the medically indigent receive much needed services.
For more information on Mental Health Courts in Michigan, click here.