Mental Health Courts and Adult Offenders with Developmental Disabilities and Co-occuring Disorders

This study examined the mental health court (MHC) outcomes of 160 adult offenders with developmental disabilities and co-occurring disorders of mental health or substance abuse who were serviced by the forensic unit of an agency. A descriptive analysis of 120 offenders evaluated by the court clinic identified 23 (19.2%) with developmental disabilities only and three groups with co-occurring disorders including 32 (26.7%) with substance abuse disorders, 45 (37.5%) with mental health disorders, and 20 (16.7%) with mental health and substance abuse disorders. There was no clinical evaluation of the other 40 participants. Crimes varied from burglary to conspiracy using weapons, drug and narcotics trafficking, and theft. For MHC and non-MHC judges, differences in court outcomes were revealed with regard to community control (67% vs. 62%), prison sentences (33% vs. 38%), and recidivism rates. For best practice, additional disability-specific training was recommended for judges and other court professionals.