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COVID-19 updates
We’ve temporarily changed some of our services.

Legal Aid Ontario is moving!
Starting April 2023, Legal Aid Ontario’s Provincial Office, Toronto Family Law Services Office, Criminal Senior Counsel Services Office, and Refugee Law Office will be located on the seventh floor of the Atrium on Bay.

Legal Aid Ontario
Atrium on Bay
20 Dundas St. West
Suite 730

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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic Violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
      • LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
      • LASA 2020 glossary
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What is mental health court?

Many courthouses across Ontario now have mental health courts. Mental health courts are criminal law courts created to help deal with accused persons who have mental health and other related issues. Depending on the courthouse that you are in, the mental health court may or may not be called “mental health court.” These courts are called different names, and operate in different ways. In some courthouses, the mental health court is open every day. In other courthouses, the mental health court may only operate once a week or every two weeks. Mental health courts in Ontario often have the following features:

  • a specific judge or group of judges that sit in that court;
  • a specific Crown or small number of Crowns assigned to that court;
  • a specific duty counsel or small number of duty counsel assigned to that court;
  • specially trained court officers;
  • mental health court workers;
  • an on-site psychiatrist on specific days (note: this is rare in courthouses in smaller communities).
  • This form is feedback only.

Questions

What happens in mental health court?

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