Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008) |
Methods: Using archival data on multiple policy trends, an explanatory model is developed based on social work, public health and criminal justice perspectives. This model is used to pose a ‘fundamental causes' explanation of the involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
Results: Evidence suggests that substance abuse and related legislation, demography, and economic shifts have more explanatory power than is typically accounted for by researchers and policy makers.
Conclusions and Implications: The findings of this study have implications for the creation and implementation of policy level interventions to reduce criminal justice involvement of people with mental illness. Specifically, greater accessibility to treatment for co-occurring disorders at different points in the mental health system may be a more direct intervention that may reduce criminal justice involvement of this population and may also support the impact of diversion and re-entry programs.