Date of Award
Summer 8-18-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Philip Yanos
Second Reader
Rebecca Weiss
Third Advisor
Elizabeth Jeglic
Abstract
Prior research has established that mental health court programs play an important role in reducing recidivism and mental health symptoms of defendants. However, there is a lack of understanding of the stigma that justice-involved individuals may encounter upon release from mental health court into the community, and the extent to which the general public is aware of mental health court programs. The present study sought to address public perceptions regarding mental health courts, their efficacy, and their participants based on the awareness and availability of these specialized courts in two similar states (New York and New Jersey), one in which mental health courts are widely implemented, and the other without any such programs. An online cross-sectional survey was given to 200 members of the general public in New York and New Jersey, who were recruited via Prolific. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Public Attitudes Toward Offenders with Mental Illness (PATOMI) scale (Walkden et al., 2021), and the Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) scale (Altemeyer, 2006). Results found that the availability and awareness of mental health courts, in addition to education level, were not significantly related to stigma held toward justice-involved individuals with mental illness (nor did it impact RWA levels). Further, we found that prior contact with the criminal justice system and prior mental health diagnosis were significantly related to stigma held toward justice-involved individuals with mental illness. Lastly, findings indicated that right-wing authoritarianism was a significant and meaningful predictor of stigma above and beyond other predictor variables.
Recommended Citation
Porter, Maeve, "The Impact of Mental Health Courts on Public Attitudes Held Toward Justice-Involved Individuals with Mental Illness" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/363
Included in
Clinical Psychology Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Courts Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Law and Politics Commons, Law and Psychology Commons, Other Psychology Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology Commons
