Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform CORE ISSUE: Decriminalization of mental health and addictive disorders.
An independent review of the provincial mental health court has determined it is effective in reducing reoffenders and treating those suffering from a mental illness.
The study looked at 44 offenders through a two-year period, 22 of whom went through mental health court, and 22 who didn’t but had similar crimes, characteristics and demographics.
- 50 per cent of those in the study had a substance use disorder
- those who were initially admitted to mental health court but were expelled from the program reoffended 100 per cent of the time.
- none of those who went through the mental health court committed a violent offence afterwards, compared with roughly 19 per cent of those who hadn’t gone through this program.