An investigation into the feasibilty of collecting data on the involvement of adults and youth with mental health issues in the criminal justice system : Recherche sur la falsabilité de recueillir des données sur les adultes et les jeunes souffrant de problèmes de santé mentale qui ont des démêlés avec le système de justice pénale

The results of the feasibility study will help guide future consideration of the development of ongoing data collection to gather information on the nature and extent of the involvement of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system. [...] The Mental Disorder Project, initiated by the Department of Justice in response to the review, stated in 1985 that the mental disorder provisions of the Criminal Code were in conflict with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [...] For long-term offenders under the responsibility of the Correctional Service of Canada, the definition of mental illness is on the basis of the requirement to provide essential health care and “reasonable access to non-essential mental health care that will contribute to the inmate’s rehabilitation and successful reintegration into the community” (Corrections and Conditional Release Act). [...] As a result, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS), at the request of the National Justice Statistics Initiative, examined the feasibility of collecting data on the involvement of adults and youth with mental health issues in the criminal justice system.