Since the first Mental Health Court (MHC) in 1997, there has been a steady increase of MHCs all over the country. With the introduction of these new specialty courts have also come to introduction of diversion programs. Diversion programs work to connect offenders who have mental illnesses to community-based mental health treatment services as an alternative to incarceration. Typically, with the completion of the program comes with the benefit of having their charges dropped. Diversion programs aim to reduce recidivism in offenders with mental illness and improve their access to treatment
