Research concerning the involvement of people with mental illness in the justice system requires analysis of two complex systems that vary widely from state to state and even from county to county. The research base concerning the extent of the problem and the effectiveness of different interventions is small but growing, and the Consensus Project can help researchers to contextualize their work within the existing body of knowledge relating to this population.

Though the Consensus Project encourages a systemic approach to improving the criminal justice system response to people with mental illness, we recognize the need for researchers to focus on the issues that most directly pertain to their roles. To that end, we recommend that researchers focus on the following sections: