The Mentally III in the Criminal Justice System in Western Australia: Definition and Disposition

The definition and disposition of mentally ill persons involved in the criminal justice system has been a long standing problem in most western cultures. Most allied debates, however, have been theoretical and philosophical rather than pragmatic. The following paper examines data from the Western Australian courts, prison and mental health systems to determine the nature and extent of the problem, together with the current dispositions of mentally ill offenders. In so doing, fundamental problems in the system are highlighted and possible alternatives suggested.