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H. Richard Lamb, MD; Linda E. Weinberger, PhD

JAMA. 2008;300(6):722-724.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

While the great majority of persons with severe mental illness (eg, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and other psychotic disorders) are not violent, there is a small minority who may become aggressive when stressed.¹ For instance, in a US national study of persons with schizophrenia and violent behavior, the prevalence of serious violent behavior in the past 6 months was 3.6%.² Many persons with severe mental illness and a history of violence reside in jails and prisons. As an example, a recent study in a large US metropolitan jail found that 72% of persons with severe mental illness had a history of arrests for a violent offense.³ In this Commentary we discuss how mental health courts could divert violent persons with severe mental illness from the criminal justice system to the mental health system and ensure that they receive . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Criminalization and Mental Health Courts

Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Drs Lamb and Weinberger), Institute of Psychiatry, Law, and Behavioral Sciences (Dr Weinberger), University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles.