The Saint John Mental Health Court: Putting the Program in Context

The current paper will provide a descriptive profile of one of Canada’s oldest Mental Health Courts. Located in New Brunswick, Canada, the Saint John MHC (SJMHC) adopted an innovative approach to managing mentally ill offenders using a multidisciplinary team that balances the goals of public safety with reduced criminalization of individuals with mentally illness. The current review will include SJMHC data gathered between 2000 and 2008. In total, 124 cases (M age = 36 years) were accepted during this period, 70% of which were male and 30% female. Clients spent an average of 225 days in the program. Ninety-seven percent had been involved with mental health services at some point prior to their MHC referral. The diagnostic profile of the sample included a variety of mental health problems, with the most prevalent being psychotic-related disorders (44%). The number of charges accumulated by individual participants prior to admission ranged from 0-18, with the majority (89%) having no ...