Criminal Justice Issues
People with serious and untreated mental health and substance use conditions often encounter barriers that prevent receiving the right services. The absence of appropriate services causes many harms…
Criminal Justice Issues
Mental Health America (MHA) places a high priority on the care of children and youth (“children”) with behavioral problems reflecting mental, emotional and substance use conditions (“behavioral…
Criminal Justice Issues
Mental Health America (MHA) supports maximum diversion from the criminal justice system for all persons accused of crimes for whom mental health or substance use treatment is a reasonable alternative…
Criminal Justice Issues
Similar to other specialized court systems such as drug courts and veterans’ courts, mental health courts are an alternative to navigating the criminal justice system for people with a mental health…
Criminal Justice Issues
Our current system of criminal justice inadequately addresses the complexity of cases involving criminal defendants with mental health conditions. Therefore, Mental Health America (MHA) calls upon…
Criminal Justice Issues
At least twenty states and the Federal government have passed various versions of what has come to be called "sexual predator" legislation. These laws provide for indefinite involuntary…
Criminal Justice Issues
Over the past 50 years [America has] gone from institutionalizing people with mental illnesses, often in subhuman conditions, [in state mental health hospitals] to incarcerating
Criminal Justice Issues
Society has long recognized the need to distinguish between those defendants charged with a crime who are responsible for their acts and those who are not. The insanity defense exists to make that…
Criminal Justice Issues
Mental Health America (MHA) opposes sentences of life without parole for juvenile offenders and emerging adults -- individuals of the ages between 18 and 25. Such sentences are inconsistent with any…