Evaluation Outcomes of an Urban Mental Health Court Conditional Dismissal Program In Texas

• In Event: Poster Session I

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate outcomes of a mental health court conditional dismissal (CD) program for mentally ill offenders in Dallas County, Texas. There is a large body of research that suggests that mental health courts are effective in reducing rates of recidivism among mentally ill offenders (see Sarteschi et al., 2011 and Lowder et al., 2018). Program completers are compared to non-completers and those who refused to participate in the CD program (n = 305). Survival analyses is utilized as a method of analysis to examine recidivism outcomes for these groups. Lastly, policy implications, study limitations, and directions for future research are offered.

Authors

• Myesha Channell Applewhite, University of Texas at Dallas

• Denise Paquette Boots, University of Texas at Dallas

• Jennifer Wareham, Wayne State University