Criminal Justice Choosing Type of Court

Question:-

If you were a local elected official and could choose whether to fund a community court, a homeless court, a mental health court, veterans court, or a reentry court, which would you choose?

Answer:-

As a local elected official, I would have funded mental health court because of increasing numbers of mentally ill offenders in criminal justice system. Mental health court deals with the behavioural approach of offenders who are under the purview of criminal justice system. In several reports it was found that instead of psychiatric hospitals in the State, more mentally ill people are detained in a county jail. One important factor of mental health court is that the proceeding is more therapeutic in nature than the punitive one. Initially it deals with misdemeanours like drug cases, vandalism, urinating in public etc. Later on, hard crimes like robbery, aggravated assault are included under the purview of mental health court. Plea bargaining is allowed here as the offenders plead guilty in lieu of therapeutic treatment. By not giving the offenders imprisonment, they are protected from hardened criminals. Offenders get a chance for rehabilitation to correct themselves. Mental health courts also get the assistance of mental health professionals. Medication, psychotherapy etc. is provided to the offenders.

Mental health court is an ideal judicial body to decide drug cases as the offenders require therapeutic treatment instead of imprisonment. In drug abuse cases, offenders get the chance for therapeutic treatment for mental illness beside drug abuse therapy.  If the therapeutic program fails or offenders are reluctant to comply with such therapeutic program, then judge can send such offender back to criminal justice system. In fact, in a mental health court a judge gets an opportunity to monitor the patient and the treatment. Thus, mental health court is a simple diversion from criminal justice system which stands on reformative theory of punishment.