Chapters: the origin of a mental health court approach; common features of the four mental health courts, & differences among them; issues raised by the emergence of a mental health court model; recent precursors to mental health courts; earlier prototypes: special court-centered judicial precursors to mental health courts; early mental health court approaches in four jurisdictions in their mental health courts; Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, FL); King County (WA); Anchorage (AK); San Bernardino (CA); & early mental health court initiatives: common themes & emerging issues.

The number of individuals with severe mental illness in the criminal justice system is shockingly high. However, there is a wealth of research that shows that the traditional incarceration model is not effective with this population, and that many of these individuals can be helped in the community at less cost without increased risk to public safety by addressing their risk-relevant needs and improving their opportunities for recovery. As a result, during the last decade there has been an increasing interest in community-based alternatives to incarceration for individuals with severe mental illness. The Sequential Intercept Model and Criminal Justice offers an overview of the recent changes in correctional policy and practice that reflect an increased focus on community-based alternatives for offenders. Developed by Drs. Mark Munetz and Patricia Griffin, the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) identifies five conceptual points at which standard criminal processing can be interrupted to offer community-based alternatives: (1) law enforcement/emergency services; (2) initial detention/initial court hearings; (3) jails/courts; (4) re-entry; and (5) community corrections/support. This volume describes the SIM in detail and reviews empirical evidence for each of its five points of interception. Chapters focus on its implementation, starting with an analysis of the national and state-level initiatives, then addressing specific challenges. A final section suggests how the SIM might be applied successfully to other populations (e.g., veterans, juveniles, and those with developmental disabilities). This volume will appeal to policy makers who are considering community-based alternatives, practitioners who carry out these changes, and program evaluators who seek to document the impact of such changes.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Criminal Psychology will be a modern, interdisciplinary resource aimed at students and professionals interested in the intersection of psychology (e.g., social, forensic, clinical), criminal justice, sociology, and criminology. The interdisciplinary study of human behavior in legal contexts includes numerous topics on criminal behavior, criminal justice policies and legal process, crime detection and prevention, eyewitness identification, prison life, offender assessment and rehabilitation, risk assessment and management, offender mental health, community reintegration, and juvenile offending. The study of these topics has been increasing continually since the late 1800s, with people trained in many legal professions such as policing, social work, law, academia, mental health, and corrections. This will be a comprehensive work that will provide the most current empirical information on those topics of greatest concern to students who desire to work in these fields. This encyclopedia is a unique reference work that looks at criminal behavior primarily through a scientific lens. With over 500 entries the book brings together top empirically driven researchers and clinicians across multiple fields—psychology, criminology, social work, and sociology—to explore the field.

This book outlines key aspects of the use of non-adversarial practices in the Australian justice system with reference to similar developments in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It examines in detail non-adversarial theories and practices such as therapeutic jurisprudence, restorative justice, preventive law, creative problem solving, holistic law, appropriate or alternative dispute resolution, collaborative law, problem-oriented courts, diversion programs, indigenous courts, coroners courts and managerial and administrative procedures.