George Mason University, State University of New York and George Mason University -

The goal of this study is to examine the racial/ethnic disparities between participants in mental health courts (MHCs) and traditional courts. The study also seeks to understand the differences in services used based on race and ethnicity in MHCs. The researchers conducted the study by looking at the usage rate of services and administering interviews. The findings suggest that African American participants in MHCs utilize mental health and substance abuse services compared to counterparts in traditional courts. The presence of MHCs reduces the racial/ethnic disparities in the usage of behavioral health services. One of the limitations to this study is that this is the only known study of racial/ethnic disparities in behavioral health services in MHCs, so the results cannot be used for all MHCs. Additionally, the study did not look at the long term effects ( >6 months) of MHCs.

Woojae Han is a Professor in the Binghamton University Department of Social Work. Allison Redlich is a Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at George Mason University.

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^{Keywords: California, national, racial/ethnic disparities, mental illness, mental health courts, behavioral health service utilization, traditional courts, services, usage}