Referrals to the Washoe County Mental Health Court

Abstract

This study examined the demographic, mental health, and criminal characteristics of 1,220 referrals to the Washoe County mental health court over a three-year period in order to determine which characteristics were associated with acceptance into the court. Results indicated that those with a thought disorder, a mood disorder, a felony index charge, and a misdemeanor index charge were significantly more likely to be accepted into the mental health court and those with a crime against a person, a crime against the community, and males were significantly less likely to be accepted into the court. A violent current crime and/or criminal history were also associated with rejection from the mental health court. These results have important policy implications for those who are referred to the court but who receive another disposition of their case and for those with violent crimes or criminal histories who are rejected by the court. This research is limited by its focus on one mental health court but does help to fill a void in the mental health court literature and sets the stage for a new focus on what becomes of those rejected from the mental health court.