That’s the focus of a special conference being held November 5th in Owen Sound hosted by the Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce.
Executive Director Claude Anderson says the idea is to link those who work with victims of mental disorders to those working in the justice system such as police, court personnel, jail and probation staff.
Anderson says the Grey Bruce Human Services and Justice Co ordinating Committee is concerned about the criminalization of the mentally ill.
He says they’ve been working for the past six years to try to get them out of the court system and into treatment programs..where they belong.
Anderson says ideally they like to intervene even earlier trying to stop police from laying charges in the first place.
A number of experts will be speaking at the one day conference including police officers, lawyers, psychologists and mental health workers.
