Public Defenders as De Facto Mental Health Service Facilitators to the Indigent

• In Event: 1567 - Section on Sociology of Law Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 2: Micro Perspectives

Abstract

This paper examines how the legal institution has attempted to adapt to the increasing influx of
mentally ill clients. Attorneys have increasingly become De Facto Mental Health Service
Facilitators, while still having to fulfil their primary responsibility of providing a strong legal defense of their clients. Attorneys and social workers offer critical insights into the dominant types of mental health issues they see, with and without formal previous diagnosis. Furthermore, these professionals offer a more nuanced look at client disclosure and the possible reasons behind resistance towards mental health labeling.

Author

• Ruth Frances Richardson, Georgia State University