Individual Factors Predicting Mental Health Court Diversion Outcome

Objective:This study examined which individual factors predict mental health court diversion outcome among a sample of persons with mental illness participating in a postcharge diversion program.Method:The study employed secondary analysis of existing program records for 419 persons with mental illness in a court diversion program.Results:Analysis revealed that unemployment was a significant predictor of program completion. Employment and symptom severity were predictive of partial program completion, while participants who did not complete programming were more likely to have a concurrent disorder and were more likely to be residentially unstable than participants who did complete programming.Conclusion:These findings discuss characteristics of persons with mental illness, as they relate to the likelihood of completing diversion programming.