Mental Health Courts

[Former-Member]

I am currently in the USA and here in the Salem Oregon area we have something called "Mental Health Courts."  They are designed to deflect the non-violent mentally ill away from jail and into treatment that will help them avoid anti-social behavior in the future.  IT is really cool.  The prosecutor and the defense attorney work together with the judge and defendant to find a good treatment plan. If the treatment plan is completed successfully the charges are dropped and the defendant does not have a criminal record. It is a very progressive idea and I was wondering if Australian municipalities have similar programs.

[Former-Member]

Hello @Former-Member my friend,

We do have mental health courts that sound similar here in Australia - I don't know a whole lot about them but I do know that their primary function is to assess whether a person afflicted by mental illness is fit to stand for trial under the normal legal processes here - to what degree there is diminished responsibility. I agree that it is progressive - offering those with complex mental illnesses a fairer hearing 😊