Preface

• Author: Richard D. Schneider
• Pages: 11-12

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PREFAC E

Mentally DisorDereD inDiviDuals are becoming enmeshed in

the criminal justice system at alarming rates. This book is a col-

lection of short stories and vignettes that collectively, it is hoped,

paint a colourful picture of how the mentally ill fare in the crim-

inal justice system. There is good news, and there is bad news. The

focus is on the comings and goings of our mental health court in

downtown Toronto. Some of the bits are “snapshots,” while some

are stories that continue over the course of several days or months.

While the content is disparate, it is one uid story in the sense that

it is a depiction of how days in the court are spent. The work of the

court is varied, as are the depictions; but they are typical days. And

while the focus is on the mental health court, some of the more

protracted matters ran their course in the regular trial courts as

time and space required.

The stories highlight medical issues, psychiatric issues, social

issues, and legal issues — often at the same time. The stories are

all real but the names have, for the most part, been changed, even

though the proceedings are matters of public record. There is an

eclectic array of individuals travelling through the courthouse for all

sorts of dierent reasons.

Many of the stories are based upon actual court transcripts that

I was lucky enough to have retained; other stories are based upon

my memory of the events and notes contained in my bench books,

which I have saved over the past almost twenty years.