Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Delinda Mercer

Abstract

The criminal justice system has established interventions for those who have mental illness and have been charged with criminal complaints. In New York State, the Mental Health Court has been established to address these issues and is to be used by all counties. However, the treatment and probation interventions vary from county to county. Saratoga County uses a Single Point of Access (SPOA) which receives referrals from the general court and probation officers. SPOA refers clients to a variety of treatment interventions available in the county. In Monroe County, the Mental Health Court refers the criminally involved/mentally ill individual to the forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) model. FACT is an inclusive treatment with probation assistance included in the model. Studies have shown efficacy in the FACT program in Monroe County which is the origin of the program. There are no studies available comparing the Saratoga SPOA approach to the FACT program to evaluate efficacy. This research assessed the recidivism rate and psychiatric emergency/hospitalization rate for this group of individuals in each county to assess the efficacy of both approaches. The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the emergency/hospitalization rates, with Monroe County having fewer emergency/hospitalizations. The population differences between the counties limit the reliability of the results but still offer insight into the significance and are discussed. The implications of this study can inform and positively affect the community and mentally ill individuals who find themselves involved in this criminal justice process.

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