Brooklyn Mental Health Court

Court

The Brooklyn Mental Health Court offers community-based treatment in lieu of incarceration to defendants with serious mental health diagnoses.

The Brooklyn Mental Health Court works with defendants who have serious and persistent mental illnesses, linking them to long-term treatment as an alternative to incarceration. The court aims to strengthen the justice system’s ability to identify, assess, and monitor individual participants; to create linkages between the justice and mental health systems; and to improve public safety by ensuring that participants receive high-quality community-based services. The court has been documented to reduce recidivism and improve mental health outcomes.


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Connect with Us

347.296.1296

320 Jay Street
14th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States

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Our Impact

  • 46% reduction in the likelihood of a rearrest for participants versus a comparison group

  • 29% reduction in the likelihood of a reconviction for participants versus a comparison group

  • 84% of active participants in compliance with court mandates

Publications & Digital Media

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News

  • NYC Finds a Way to Balance Mental Illness and Criminal Justice

    February 23, 2023
    New York Daily News

    A look into a participant's journey with a specialty mental health court is bolstered by Center data from the Brooklyn Mental Health Court, showing that participants are 46% less likely to be arrested than their peers in criminal court and 29% less likely to be convicted. Despite limited resources, Judge Matthew D’Emic has presided over the borough’s mental health court for 21 years and stretches resources to accommodate 300 participants at a time.

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Looking to Implement a Program in Your Neighborhood?

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Partners

The Brooklyn Mental Health Court has been developed as a joint project of the New York State Unified Court System, the New York State Office of Mental Health, and the Center for Justice Innovation. Other government and nonprofit partners involved in planning the Mental Health Court include the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, the Legal Aid Society, the Brooklyn Defenders Service and numerous representatives of the mental health treatment community. The New York Community Trust, the United Hospital Fund and the Ittleson Foundation have also provided support for this project.

Related Areas of Focus

We rely on the generosity of supporters to do the work we do.

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