NC Mental Health Courts Studied and Praised
A study was released this week analyzing the effectiveness of mental health courts on arrest rates. Recidivism is the term used to describe someone’s chances of being rearrested after entering the system. According to this Psychiatric News article, recidivism was significantly lower in people who were processed through mental health courts as opposed to traditional criminal courts.
Mental health courts are just one variety of specialized courts. Drug courts and DUI courts are others in the North Carolina system. These specialized courts are designed to take a unique approach to crime. They sanction criminal activity through a wide variety of community resources.
The mental health courts used in this study involved a program that allowed the defendants to satisfy their criminal sentence (probation, community service, employment, etc) while also addressing mental health issues through things like counseling.
About 79% of those who completed the program were not rearrested within the following 2 years. For those who were expelled that rate was 19%. And for those who left willingly, the recidivism rate was 37%.
All specialized courts show similar promise. Drug courts, for instance, might include drug education or treatment requirements. The defendant may have to check in with the judge from time to time to establish that they are adhering to the sentence recommendations.
Although no one wants to go to criminal court, these specialized courts can give defendants more options and sometimes the opportunity to keep their record clean. Some diversion programs actually drop first time charges after a successful drug court experience.
Many jurisdictions within the state offer DUI and drug courts. Knowing what your chances are of being seen in one is can help put your mind at ease. Contact our lawyers today to discuss your case and where it will be heard.
If you are facing drug charges we can talk about the evidence against you and how the police arrived at it. If the search wasn’t lawful we may be able to get the evidence suppressed and the charges dropped altogether.
Contact us today to get some legal advice on North Carolina criminal charges and courts.
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