The Issue
It is not uncommon for the rights of a victim to be overlooked or ignored when the person who committed the crime enters a mental health court, is found "not guilty by reason of insanity," or is otherwise ordered to receive treatment from a mental health system. Yet efforts to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system rarely consider the needs of the people who are the victims of crimes committed by people with mental illnesses. As a result, victims of crimes committed by people with mental illnesses often find themselves victimized again by a process that leaves them feeling uninformed, without opportunities for meaningful participation, unprotected, and angry about the apparent lack of accountability.

The Response
The Council of State Governments (CSG), with a grant from the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC), part of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, oversees a project to help state and local government officials better serve victims of crimes committed by individuals with mental illnesses. Through this project, Justice Center staff have developed written resources on this topic, listed below. Justice Center staff also convened groups of victim advocates, department of mental health staff, legislative staff, and others to discuss responses to victims of crimes committed by people with mental illnesses in both Kansas and Virginia.

Resources
Click the links below for more information on Consensus Project resources for policymakers and practitioners working to improve the response to people who have been the victims of crimes committed by people with mental illness or contact Hope Glassberg.