Looking to curb crime? Craft a better response to mental illness, says prof

Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, the director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at UNB Saint John, says the province is slowly developing a better understanding of how mental health issues affect crime, but inadequate police training, closure of the province's mental health court and poor jailhouse access to treatment remain significant hurdles.

"We're doing a lot to try and educate people about what active mental health issues like psychosis and delusions look like, so that you can recognize it and adjust your response to those people's needs," Campbell said.

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In addition to training law enforcement officials to recognize common red flags, she said, New Brunswick could learn from jurisdictions that team up police with mental health professionals trained in de-escalation techniques. People can then be directed to "mental health services that may be more helpful to them than lockup."

Such techniques are far from foolproof.

"Despite your best efforts, sometimes you can't de-escalate a person," Campbell said. "Then you have to use other non-lethal methods to keep the situation as safe as you can: Tasers, bean bags. No one wants to have to shoot and kill a person."

Local families struggling

Earlier this week, Jeannelle LeBlanc of Bouctouche spoke with CBC about her struggle to keep her 32-year-old son, who has paranoid schizophrenia, on his medication and out of police custody. With her son continually in trouble, LeBlanc has become frustrated by strict privacy laws and what she sees as a lack of support from health-care professionals.

On Tuesday, in another disturbing case, Matthew Tucker of Oak Haven was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Dorothy Tucker. In the weeks leading up to her death in November 2014, Tucker's mother expressed concerns that her son would harm someone but didn't know where to turn. She was later found dead of a gunshot wound.

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Mary Ann Campbell is the Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at UNB.When someone has committed a crime and appears to be displaying signs of mental illness, it is up to individual clinicians to decide what to do next, Campbell said.

"Sometimes, the person isn't at enough of a risk of harm to themselves or others to involuntarily to commit them," she said. "So they get released, usually in the care of a family member.

"As with any kind of diagnosis, there is a matter of opinion there. The threshold of where a person is at risk of harming themselves or others may be somewhat different between clinicians."

Structured screening tools and questionnaires, intended to help clinicians make more objective decisions on whether to hold someone in lockup or in a mental health facility, can help.

"But not all organizations encourage or require the use of those types of tools," Campbell said. "It's up to the clinician to decide what they want to use."

Re-establishing mental health court

A mental health court was established in Saint John as a permanent program in 2003. The only court of its kind in New Brunswick, it was overseen by now retired Judge Alfred Brien. The court closed in July 2013 when Brien retired.

Restoring a mental health court would allow people to "address their criminal activity, but in a way that is more sensitive to their needs, and provide them better access to mental health care," Campbell said.

"That way, we don't see them continually cycling in and out of the system."

To keep a mental health court operating, "you need the appropriate resources in terms of the team of legal professionals, which include representatives from probation and addictions services, and housing representatives."

"When you have staff turnover and change, that sustainability becomes difficult."

Before New Brunswick's mental health court closed, Campbell said, there was evidence to suggest it had reduced the risk factors that led to criminal behaviour.

Access to treatment in jails

Campbell said improving access to mental health professionals during incarceration makes people more likely to seek help when they're released back into the community.

"Sometimes it's difficult to get clients into services when they are in the criminal justice system, and there's the complicating factor of substance use.

"We need to have a more coherent plan. Then we can get better services for these folks."

It's important to remember, Campbell said, that "most people who have mental health issues are at no greater risk for criminality than anybody else."
It's thoughts that are supportive of crime, and addiction and family dynamic problems, that are more relevant to criminal behaviour."