Seton Hall Law School established the Institute of Law and Mental Health in 1998 to provide a center for the school’s public policy and curricular endeavors in the mental health field. Reflecting the increased social importance of the law’s treatment of the mentally ill, the Law School regularly offers courses on Mental Health Law in both the civil and criminal context. Associate Dean John Kip Cornwell, the Institute’s Director, is a nationally recognized scholar on mental health law, particularly in the criminal context. Professor John Jacobi, the Institute’s Associate Director, approaches mental health law from the civil perspective, and has written on the application of anti-discrimination law to those with psychiatric disabilities. Adjunct professors include Ray Deeney, a former manager of New Jersey’s mental health services, and Michael Perlin, a national expert on the rights of the mentally ill and a Professor at New York Law School.  In 1999, the Institute issued a report concerning the treatment in prisons and in civil settings of offenders and ex-offenders deemed to be "sexually violent predators." The Institute evaluated the housing and treatment concerns raised by New Jersey’s recently enacted Sexually Violent Predator Act. Professors Cornwell and Jacobi, aided by psychologist Dr. Phillip H. Witt, compared the facilities and procedures in place and in development in New Jersey with those that have been developed in other states. The report evaluated treatment plans, housing options, safety concerns and patients’ rights issues raised by the implementation of the Act. The Institute will employ its resources to analyze other significant public policy issues raised by the complex legal environment surrounding the mentally ill.  The combination of classroom offerings, scholarly research and public policy development offers a rich atmosphere for learning in this increasingly important field.

"During law school I obtained a summer internship with the Mental Health Project of the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan.  This internship provided me with hands-on experience in mental health law representing indigent, primarily homeless, mental health consumers.  This experience, along with the mental health law courses that I was able to enroll in at Seton Hall Law School, provided me with the tools to be an effective advocate for the mentally disabled.  The expertise of the faculty who are part of the Institute is an invaluable resource that I will continue to rely upon throughout my career." Veena Seelochan, J.D., Class of 2002