Date of Award
Summer 8-10-2019
Degree Type
Capstone - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
First Advisor
Dr. Alicia Malone
Abstract
This analysis is concerned with understanding the facets of criminal justice diversion programs that successfully improve the mental wellbeing of participants and, as a subsequent effect, reduce offending amongst the mentally ill populous in the United States. An inquiry of pre-program and post-program data from both adult and juvenile mental health specific programs reveals that participation amongst both groups shows a meaningful reduction in new/repeat offending in comparison to non-participants. The data shows that the expansion of law enforcement Crisis Intervention Team’s (CIT’s) has a compounding effect to the positive results. A review of these programs in Australia indicates that an expansion of like-programs would reduce offending in less invested nations such as the United States. A consideration of the aggregated data prompts a discussion about the benefits of further development.
Recommended Citation
Parent, Ryan J., "Mental Health Jail Diversion: A Therapeutic Approach to Offending in Twenty-First Century America" (2019). Criminology Student Work. 8.
https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/crm_studentpub/8
Included in
Criminal Law Commons, Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons, Jurisprudence Commons, Juvenile Law Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons
