The cases clog overcrowded court dockets, slowing the judicial process as lawyers struggle to resolve the complicated cases of offenders who are mentally ill. While incarcerated, the inmates often require expensive medications and suicide watches. It causes a great deal of additional pain for both the offenders and their families, without getting to the root of the problem. To address these concerns, Florida's Broward County has established the nation's first mental health court, which directs defendants into supervised, community-based treatment rather than prison. Open only to offenders who have committed nonviolent misdemeanors and have a history or symptoms of mental illness, the court is generally nonadversarial, with few legal motions, sworn witnesses, or cross-examinations.
Participation is voluntary.
Mental health practitioners are on hand at all times, and the focus is on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Whether the system is equipped to do this effectively remains to be seen. Critics of the mental health court contend that the new institution neither improves access to quality care nor eases the burden on the judicial system. Petrila is heading a study to evaluate the court's effectiveness. Approximately 63 percent of prison inmates have a mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or both.