Summary
"Historically, society has struggled to meet the needs of those with a mental illness. More recently, deinstitutionalization and the limited services for mental health in the community have increasingly left the criminal justice system to deal with those who have a mental disorder (or multiple disorders) in an appropriate way. Sadly, significant numbers of those dealt with by the criminal justice system are suffering from (frequently) untreated or poorly managed mental illness. Arguably, these people should not be in the criminal justice system at all but rather dealt with by the health care system. However, more and more often police are called to situations involving people with a mental illness and required to intervene in some way"--Page 2.