Mental Health Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mental Health Court - Essay Example The judge granted the request but appointed the court to be the one to manage and monitor the treatment instead of the parents. According to one of the court reporters that I sat with, the case I heard occurs every day in 95b. One of the reasons mentioned in the hearing was that the defendant did not finish his treatment because he opted to work instead of attending treatment and was not dissuaded from doing so by his parents. It made me realize that though there are already significant channels being provided for mental health by the judicial system for those who need it, they are not being fully utilized. The danger is that these conditions can escalate the offense committed that is disincentive both to offenders who have conditions and those the crimes are committed against. When the court appointed one its own officers to oversee the treatment of the defendant who was still a minor, I realized the degree by which the courts have had to take a more active role in rehabilitating offenders. According to the UK based Democratic Health Network, health services should have greater responsibility in ensuring that courts be enlightened regarding the condition of individuals who have mental illness who have committed crimes.