An Investigation into the Feasibility of Collecting Data on the Involvement of Adults and Youth with Mental Health Issues in the Criminal Justice System - ARCHIVED

This report provides an overview of issues on mental health and the criminal justice system, as well as the feasibility of collecting data on individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system. While there have been pockets of studies and data collection activities trying to quantify the issue at the police, courts and corrections levels, there is presently a lack of data to understand the extent of the problem to inform decision-making regarding policy and action, and to measure outcomes of current initiatives and processes.

The first part of the report describes issues with regard to mental illness and the criminal justice system, including definitional challenges, criminal justice system processes, previous studies on the prevalence of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system, and the relationship between individuals with mental illness and criminal justice involvement.

The second part presents the results from consultations with over 100 stakeholders, including law enforcement, courts, Review Boards, correctional services, mental health organizations, academics and researchers and non-governmental organizations. It also proposes options for collecting data on persons with mental health issues in the criminal justice system.