What advantages do mental health courts offer over traditional approaches?
Mentally ill offenders have cycled in and out of the traditional system, getting arrested when they stop taking their medication. When they stay on the medicine, they generally do not get arrested, so the program works to ensure that offenders continue to take appropriate medication. A recent study estimates that mentally ill offenders will use $40,000 of services annually as they cycle in and out of institutions. A specialty court uses existing services and adds intensive case management at an additional cost of only several thousand dollars a year. In order to successfully complete the program, the offender must meet the goals of stabilization at every level: medication compliance, housing, employment and sobriety. At the end of the two-year program, the successful “graduate” should have learned the skills necessary to remain a healthy, law-abiding member of the community. Kent State University has studied the Akron Municipal Court since its inception. Its analysis shows that drug co
