ABSTRACT
Each day, a disturbingly large number of people with mental illness cycle through the criminal justice system across the nation. Before arriving in the criminal justice system, these individuals have frequently fallen through the ‘safety net’ of families, hospitals and community based treatment providers … The results are painfully clear: many defendants with mental illness churn through the criminal justice system again and again, going through a ‘revolving door’ from street to court to cell and back again without ever receiving the support and structure they need. It is fair to say that no one wins when this happens – not defendants, not police, not courts, not victims, and not communities.
