The Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness Research Team is led by Christian Ritter, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, and Mark R. Munetz, M.D., Co-principal Investigator. We are funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Office of Criminal Justice Services, and are based in the Department of Community Health Sciences at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM/NEOUCOP). Since 2002, the team has been researching the effects of pre- and post-arrest diversion programs in Ohio. In addition to other research activities, the investigators and team members have served such groups as The Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence, The Ohio Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Mentally Ill in the Courts, the Bureau of Justice Assistance Mental Health Courts Program, and the Council of State Governments Advisory Committee. Our overarching research goal is to discern program mechanisms and characteristics to determine how diversion programs work and for whom.

Biographies of Research Team

Christian Ritter, Ph.D., is a sociologist in the Department of Community Health Sciences at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM/NEOUCOP) and a member of the Graduate Faculty of the Akron-Kent State University Joint Ph.D. Program. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Kentucky and his post-doctoral training was in Psychiatric Epidemiology at the School of Hygiene and Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University, Department of Mental Hygiene.  His areas of specialty are health and health care, mental health, and social psychology.  His current research involves work, stress, family processes and depression; identity and well-being; stigma; and the effects of diversion programs.

Jennifer L.S. Teller, Ph.D., is the Program Director for OCJS and ODMH funded research projects at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM/NEOUCOP), Department of Community Health Sciences, for which Dr. Ritter is the principal investigator and Drs. Munetz is the co-principal investigator. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Kent State. Her research interests include mental health, health and social behaviors, and the effects of diversion programs.

Mark R. Munetz, M.D., is the Chief Clinical Officer for the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board as well as a Professor of Psychiatry and the Director of Community Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.  His post-graduate training took place at Lafayette Clinic in Detroit and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh.  His research interests are in mental health and diversion programs.

Natalie Bonfine, M.A. is the Research Associate with "The Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness" project at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM/NEOUCOP). Since 2002, the team has been researching the effects of pre- and post-arrest diversion programs in Ohio. Ms. Bonfine received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Kent State University. Her research interests include jail diversion for people with mental illness, mental health across the life course, sociology of health, and social psychology.

Kristen Marcussen, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Kent State University and an Investigator with "The Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness" project. She received her degree in Sociology at the University of Iowa. Her areas of specialty are social psychology and mental health/illness. Her work focuses on the relationships between social roles, identity and mental health, as well as effects of stigma on personal and social resources.

Research Consultation Network (RCN)

In partnership with the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services and the Research Subcommittee of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts, the CJ/CCoE is developing the Research Consultation Network (RCN). The RCN is an emerging network of researchers from around the state of Ohio who are currently engaged in research on jail diversion programs, including Crisis Intervention Team training (CIT) and mental health courts. Researchers participating in the RCN are from different colleges, universities, and state agencies throughout Ohio.

These researchers will act as consultants to individual communities, providing technical assistance with research and data analysis issues that may arise. The RCN consultants will be available to assist communities by:

• Providing information about the type of data to collect
• Advising on the process of collecting data
• Offering support with data analysis

The RCN has three main goals in helping to shape jail diversion research. These are to:

• Assist in developing tracking procedures and outcomes for research initiatives and evaluation related to jail diversion
• Disseminate jail diversion findings throughout the state and country
• Build a collaborative research agenda among leading researchers in the criminal justice and mental health fields

While this project is still in development, we hope that in the near future the RCN will be available to assist your community. Please continue to check this section of our Website as the RCN develops.

We are currently inviting participation from researchers interested in becoming a consultant for the RCN. If you or a colleague are interested in joining the RCN, please contact Christian Ritter, Research Director or Natalie Bonfine, M.A., Center Coordinator, at (330) 672-0401.

Research Briefings

The Effect of Crisis Intervention Team Training on Police Disposition of Mental Disturbance Calls (PDF)

Impact of Diversion Programs on Consumers of Mental Health Services (PDF)

Impact of Diversion Programs on Consumers' Quality of Life and Depressive Symptomatology (PDF)

Police Conceptions of Mental Illness: Labels, Causes, Dangerousness, and Social Distance (PDF)

The Focus Group: A Quality Improvement Tool for the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (Criminal Justice CCoE) (PDF)

Effects of Mental Health Court on Reducing Incarcerations (PDF)

Recidivism of Successful Mental Health Court Participants (PDF)

Description of Funded Research

The Quality of Life of People with Mental Illness and The Consequences of Mental Health Court (PDF)