Discuss the effectiveness of mental health courts. What are two concerns about mental health courts?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary.Evaluations of mental health courts suggest that they have been effective in reducing recidivism, though whether they provide therapeutic value to participants is less clear. People who completed a treatment program associated with a rural North Carolina mental health court were 88% less likely to recidivate than people who did not complete treatment. Although findings are limited, it appears that mental health courts are also cost effective, reducing the need for services such as psychiatric emergency room visits and other crisis interventions.There are two broad concerns associated with mental health courts, however. First, participants may feel coerced into participating. In one study involving over 200 participants, investigators found that although most said they had agreed to participate, the majority were unaware that the program was voluntary and did not understand many of the nuances of the program. This led the researchers to question whether diversion to mental health courts is truly voluntary.The second concern involves the selection of participants. Specialty courts, including mental health courts, admit only a fraction of the people who are eligible, and admission decisions typically involve multiple perspectives and parties (e.g., clients, treatment providers, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and victims). Recent studies suggest that gender and racial bias may influence the way that potential clients are identified, recruited, and eventually selected to participate. Specifically, Caucasian males are overrepresented in mental health courts. According to a meta-analysis of 18 studies, the majority of participants in mental health courts are Caucasian males in their mid-30s, whereas African American males constituted the largest demographic group in prisons and jails in 2007 and mental health diagnoses are more prevalent among disadvantaged minority groups.A related concern is the possibility that the selection process, rather than the interventions provided, accounts for the modest positive outcomes associated with participating in mental health courts. This could happen if only those potential clients who accept their mental health disorder and who are amenable to treatment are invited to participate. After evaluating the selection procedures in six demographically diverse mental health courts, concluded that client selection might explain findings on the effectiveness of mental health courts.