Mississippi Code Title 9. Courts § 9-27-3

(a) Reduce the number of future criminal justice contacts among offenders with mental illnesses;

(b) Reduce the inappropriate institutionalization of people with mental illnesses;

(c) Improve the mental and behavioral health and well-being of defendants who come in contact with the criminal justice system;

(d) Improve linkages between the criminal justice system and the mental health system;

(e) Expedite case processing;

(f) Protect public safety;

(g) Establish linkages with other state and local agencies and programs that target people with mental illnesses in order to maximize the delivery of services; and

(h) To use corrections resources more effectively by redirecting prison-bound offenders whose criminal conduct is driven in part by mental illnesses to intensive supervision and clinical treatment available in the mental health treatment court.