Peterborough Community Support Court: An Evaluation in Recidivism – 2019-11-06

Problem-solving courts were developed to treat the root cause of criminality. Mental health and drug courts are two of the most common types of problem-solving courts in Canada. The models adopted by MHCs and DTCs vary substantially across jurisdictions in Canada. The Peterborough Community Support Court (CSC) is a specialized criminal court established in 2011 to address the mental health and addiction issues contributing to criminal behaviours and thus reduce the recidivism rate among the populations of offenders facing these problems. It is unique in that it is one of the only concurrent disorder model courts in Canada. An evaluation of the CSC was completed in 2018. Data for the study was provided by a Peterborough Crown attorney who developed and managed the Peterborough CSC. The Crown recorded information on treatment program characteristics, completion status, criminal history, and mental health and/or addiction history of each participant. Recidivism data was provided by the Peterborough Police.

Presenters: Kate Bertrand, Kelly Eberhard