Sarteschi, Christine Marie
(2009)
Assessing the effectiveness of mental health courts: A meta-analysis of clinical and recidivism outcomes.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Mental health courts (MHC) are treatment oriented court diversion programs that seek to redirect individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI), such as those with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression, who have committed a crime, into court mandated treatment programs instead of the criminal justice system. It is believed that individuals with SMI commit and re-commit offenses as a result of their illness and if directed to the appropriate treatments, would be less likely to offend. Currently, there are over 150 MHCs nationally operating in at least 35 states, yet a gap remains in the scientific literature concerning their ability to reduce recidivism and clinical outcomes. To determine their effectiveness in reducing recidivism and improving clinical outcomes, the first meta-analytic study of these courts was conducted. A systematic search of the literature through May 2008, as well as an e-mail survey, generated 23 studies representing 129 outcomes with over 11,000 MHC participants. Aggregate effects for recidivism revealed a mean effect size of -0.52. MHCs had a small to medium positive effect of 0.28 on a participant's quality of life. Among quasi-experimental studies, there was a small effect size of - 0.14 for clinical outcomes indicating a positive improvement. Based on this analysis, MHCs are effective interventions for reducing recidivism and improving clinical and quality of life outcomes.
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Details
Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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Status: |
Unpublished |
Creators/Authors: |
Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
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Sarteschi, Christine Marie | cmlst44@pitt.edu | CMLST44 | |
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ETD Committee: |
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Date: |
27 August 2009 |
Date Type: |
Completion |
Defense Date: |
22 July 2009 |
Approval Date: |
27 August 2009 |
Submission Date: |
27 August 2009 |
Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
Schools and Programs: |
School of Social Work > Social Work |
Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
Refereed: |
Yes |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
diversion programs; mental health courts; mentally ill offenders; criminal justice system; severe mental illness |
Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08272009-143525/, etd-08272009-143525 |
Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 20:01 |
Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:49 |
URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9275 |
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