An Ego-Centric Model of Criminal Arrest Among Mental Health Court Participant Network

People with serious mental illness are disproportionately represented among prison/jail populations. Mental health courts (MHC) serve as an alternative to incarceration. In this study, we explore the extent to which MHC participants have members of their social network who were reported as having a history of arrests. Multilevel logistic regression demonstrated friends who used drugs, race, and network density were all predictive of MHC participants’ friends who have a history of arrest. Results demonstrate an association between MHC participation and arrest among individuals in their social network. Given the importance of social support in recovery from mental illness and in desisting from crime, such limitations can be problematic. MHC participants may be disinclined to engage with the very individuals who are able to provide social and emotional support.