(Papers to be published in Mental Health Law and Policy Journal)
Two controversial interventions are developing in response to people whose mental illness may have caused their harmful actions: Reliance on specialty mental health courts in which process and the range of sanctions differ from criminal courts, and use of therapeutic jurisprudence which includes a broader possible range of human interactions. The most developed examples exist in Europe, though others are found in the US and throughout the world. While these specific innovations explore new territory, the rights of the wrongdoer, the wronged and the society to justice and the desire of each for effective treatment capture the fundamental tension, and the process used to reach these ends requires vigilance in theory and application. Noted scholars and a new thinker in the field offer their research and recommendations for discussion.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.