Abstract
Mental Health Treatment Courts (MHTC) address the overrepresentation of individuals with mental health disorders in the criminal justice system and strive to minimize the "revolving door" cycle of arrest/incarceration/release/re-arrest. A qualitative research group interview design was conducted with program graduates resulting in a three stage model. Participant’s motivation was initially to avoid jail, but over time participants begin to make intentional choices leading to mental health recovery. Participants also described the importance of their relationship with the staff and the judge as well as the need for trust, understanding, and respect throughout the program. Recommendations for future research and program development are discussed.
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Funding was provided by University of Scranton.
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Lee Ann Eschbach, Rebecca Spirito Dalgin were funded to complete an evaluation of the program in this study in 2017. Elizabeth Pantucci has no conflicts of interest on this project.
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Full IRB approval was granted for this study and informed consent was obtained from all individual participants in this study.
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Eschbach, L.A., Dalgin, R.S. & Pantucci, E. A Three Stage Model for Mental Health Treatment Court: A Qualitative Analysis of Graduates’ Perspectives. Community Ment Health J 55, 590–598 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0346-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-018-0346-5