Novel Mental Illness Court Offering Aid Struggles to Find Takers

California opened a new mental health court system last fall in an unprecedented effort to address the state’s homelessness and mental health crises, and Anita Fisher was hopeful that her 46-year-old son would finally get help.

The day of her son’s first hearing at the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Court felt different from the almost 40 criminal proceedings she has attended since her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia two decades ago. She was used to researching the penal code before hearings, bracing herself for multiyear sentences, and knowing that for however long her son would spend incarcerated, he’d also ...