Book Review, 0419 UTBJ, Vol. 32, No. 2. 47
| Author | Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren with Rebecca A. Eckland |
| Position | Vol. 32 2 Pg. 47 |
March,
2019
A Court
of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America's First
Mental Health Court
Judge
Ginger Lerner-Wren with Rebecca A. Eckland
Reviewed
by Judge Heather Brereton
In
A Court of Refuge, Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren details the
creation and evolution of the first mental health court in
the United States, the Broward County Mental Health Court.
The court began on June 24,1997, held during the lunch hour
of Judge Lerner-Wren's criminal calendar. Judge
Lerner-Wren's court serves individuals charged with
misdemeanor criminal offenses who suffer from psychiatric
disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as well
as those with traumatic brain injuries, cognitive disorders,
and dementia. A Court of Refuge is an approachable
mix of the philosophy and workings of Judge Lerner-Wren's
therapeutic court, her personal experiences both in and out
of mental health court, and the case histories or stories of
several participants in her court.
The
case histories cited by Judge Lerner-Wren show how the
failure of state mental health systems to adequately treat
and support those with mental illness leads individuals into
the criminal justice system. She details how many mentally
ill individuals languish in jails where their mental
illnesses oftentimes go untreated. She begins the book with
the story of Aaron Winn, a Florida man who deteriorated
mentally after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a
motorcycle accident. As a result, he spent two years in
Florida mental hospitals after which he was released into the
community with no further treatment or care plan. He had a
psychotic episode during which he knocked an elderly lady to
the ground where she hit a cement curb and later died from
the injuries caused by the fall. Mr. Winn entered the Florida
criminal justice system, charged with first degree murder.
Those involved in and concerned about Mr. Winn's case
influenced the creation of the Broward County Mental Health
Court.
The
book does a good job of detailing the very real problem of
the criminalization of mental illness facing courts in
Florida and nationwide. A Court of Refuge traces the
history of this country's treatment of the mentally ill
and discusses reform movements meant to address mental
illness, from those of Dorothea Dix to policy changes
attempted by John Kennedy through the Community Mental Health
Act of 1963. The author explains how...
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