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- 2019
Mental health courts: Providing access to justice for people with mental illness and cognitive impairmentsKeywords: Mental illness,cognitive impairment,criminal justice system,mental health courts,Australia Abstract: Mental health courts have been established in four Australian jurisdictions to provide a targeted response to people with mental illness and cognitive impairments coming through the courts. This article provides an up-to-date overview of Australian mental health courts, discusses the evidence base underpinning them and identifies three important emerging directions for their future operation. These are the need for a contextualised understanding of the relationship between mental illness and offending, the importance of trauma-informed approaches and the role that peer support workers can play in mental health courts
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