The Attorney General and Bermuda Hospitals Board have signalled their support for a special Mental Health Court to improve the way criminals with mental problems are dealt with.However, AG Michael Scott said budget cuts may mean the court promised by Government for at least eight years has to remain on the back burner.The Royal Gazette reported on Thursday how Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves pressed for a Mental Health Court to be implemented as he sentenced a schizophrenic man who stabbed his neighbour.He sent the culprit, Shiloh Payne, to the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute for treatment rather than sending him to prison. However, he bemoaned the fact that orders made by the courts under the Mental Health Act are not regularly reviewed afterwards.Mr Justice Greaves claimed that health institutions sometimes let mentally ill criminals “out when they like” and “leaving it up to lay persons to carry out the rulings of the court is not the best option”.If a Mental Health Court was in place, he said, judges could supervise the ongoing treatment and punishment of mentally ill criminals after hearing expert evidence, in the same way Drug Court oversees sentences for substance-abusers.A Government task force was set up as far back as 2003 to plan a Mental Health Court as part of a PLP election pledge, but the plan has not come to fruition.When invited to comment on the issue, a spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board said: “The Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute is supportive of a Mental Health Court in Bermuda. Mental Health Courts have demonstrated positive outcomes in other jurisdictions.“This would help to incorporate recovery principles into the correctional process with the goal of supporting individuals to recover and, hopefully, halt the revolving door pattern of institutionalisation.”She added: “We are also continuing to work towards a phased implantation of our Mental Health Plan, which will see greater community support for individuals recovering from mental health conditions through community based ‘Assertive Outreach Teams’. This will would benefit all mental health service users, helping to avert acute episodes and reduce the need for hospitalisation or incarceration.”She pointed out: “People who suffer from mental illnesses are rarely a danger to others. Sadly, most violent acts are carried out by people who are not mentally ill.”Attorney General Michael Scott said: “The efficacy of a Mental Health Court is fairly desirable and obvious in our Bermuda society. The steps to progress the Mental Health Court are subject to current budget restraint considerations.“That said, during the November Court Services Conference the benefits of trained mental health judges operating in Mental Health Courts were extolled and clearly defended, and the Ministry of Justice continues to see the Mental Health Court and judges skilled in handling the mentally ill defendant as a most important plank to our Court Services profile.“So there remains a commitment to a designated Court but we will have to see how far we can progress this in the current budget climate.”The Royal Gazette also asked Minister of Health Zane DeSilva for an update on a “statement of intent” to allow prisoners with severe mental health problems such as schizophrenia to be treated at a medium-secure unit called Reaside in the West Midlands of England. The Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute only has a small secure Intensive Care Unit called Somers Annexe.The BHB spokeswoman said that in “a small number of cases,” inmates with severe mental health issues would be candidates for treatment at Reaside.A spokeswoman for Mr DeSilva said: “The formal agreement between Reaside [and Government] is still being developed, and to date no Bermudians have been sent to the facility.”