The Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee is surveying the mental health courts in Ontario to examine their distinctive operation as separate mechanisms and their role in the greater criminal justice system. The participating courts are those which have been identified as having a dedicated courtroom and judge to serve accused persons with mental health issues, separate from the “regular stream” of criminal court matters. This distinction is important. There is recognition that many courthouses across Ontario are equipped with mental health court support services and have been helping people with mental health and addictions issues navigate the criminal justice system for many years, but do not have a specialized court to address those matters.
So far, the findings of the project have revealed many similarities among the mental health courts, sometimes also referred to as community treatment courts or therapeutic courts. There are interesting differences, however, in eligibility criteria and methods of operation with respect to how each court addresses the mental health needs of the client while also dealing with the criminal charge(s) at hand.
The project is expected to conclude in the fall of 2016, at which time a forum will be held with stakeholders to discuss the findings and share ideas about how mental health courts operate in Ontario.