Manhattan's First Mental Health Court Opens
A court in Manhattan designed for criminal defendants with severe mental illnesses opened Wednesday.
“A significant percentage of defendants suffer from mental disorders—an issue that the courts and its criminal justice system partners simply cannot overlook,” New York state Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman stated, reports the Epoch Times.
The Mental Health Court seeks to prevent mentally ill criminal defendants from pursuing other criminal activity, the New York Law Journal reports. Department of Probation officials, judges, prosecutors and others can refer cases to the court, but only those involving severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be accepted, the Epoch Times reports. Defendants must undergo a psychiatric evaluation before their case is accepted, the paper adds.
New York has 317 problem-solving courts—eight of which are in Manhattan—that tackle issues such as drug treatment and domestic violence, according to the New York Law Journal.
A press release available on the New York County District Attorney’s Office website provides additional details.
