You have a greater chance of reaching people and reducing recidivism.
— Rob Galibois, Cape and Islands District Attorney
What is the Mental Health Speciality Court?
In this Mental Health Awareness Month feature we look one way that courts are addressing defendants with mental health issues.
Click on image to watch video news short.
The nonprofit Mental Health America launched Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 – and ever since then May has been a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and promote mental wellbeing.
This month we’re sharing series of reports on different aspects of mental health and wellness – after all, the more we all talk about it, the more we understand, accept, and embrace practices to make society and individuals healthier.
In this first in a series during Mental Health Awareness month, we find out how the legal system in Barnstable County brought in Mental Health Specialty Courts for better outcomes for both defendants and public safety.
How can courts address mental health?
07 May 2026 – BARNSTABLE, MA – Mental and behavioral health issues lie behind a significant number of cases entering the criminal justice system. In Massachusetts an approach called Specialty Courts offer a way forward, one that helps minimize repeat violations and supports public safety.
When did Barnstable County get mental health courts?
The mental health special session courts ran elsewhere in Massachusetts, but only began in Barnstable in 2023. According to Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois, who advocated strongly for mental health specialty court sessions in Barnstable County, these court sessions have made a difference for the region.
“You have a greater chance of reaching people and reducing recidivism, “ he said.
What is a specialty court?
When we think of courts, we often picture a brick and mortar facility … but the specialty courts aren’t about physical buildings and they aren’t actually separate courts. They are specific sessions within an existing court, like the one within Barnstable District Court.
“All of our specialty court sessions are products of the trial court 0they are the ones that have to launch it – but we work in unison once they are open. It’s a team effort,” explained Galibois.
Why area there speciality courts?
For people with mental or behavioral health or addiction issues – or sometimes all three in tandem – traditional approaches doesn’t improve either public safety or prevent future crimes, say law enforcement experts. Finding a different way to apply justice and preserve future public safety drove the creation of these courts.
How do people end up in a mental health specialty court?
People who have been arrested for a crime end up in the mental health specialty court by referral – by either family or legal system.
“Typically the way we start off is something is brought our attention … the defense attorney or some family member will bring to our attention that this person has a history or certain struggles” said Galibois. “So then we review it and we have a screening team.”
If the screening group agrees that the case meets the criteria and can benefit from the mental health special court structure, the defendant gets referred over
What makes the special courts work?
The “secret sauce” in courts like this lies in the way they gather knowledge and resources to better address the underlying issues that bring people into contact with the legal system in the first place.
“In a mental health specialty court, professionals in the field come right in and work with the struggling defendant to try to identify what is the core issue” explained Galibois.
“And once you make that identification then we have a greater chance of reducing recidivism,” he added.
What are the outcomes of these courts?
“We all work together with that one goal to make sure the person that we are working with at that particular moment in time identifies their struggles – be it substance abuse or mental health – and they have a clear path going forward knowing what they need to do to stay out of the criminal justice system,” said Galibois.
“At the end the day it is totally about public safety.”
