Katey Thom

Katey is a Pākehā social justice researcher exploring the spaces where law and health interface. Her current research focuses on mental health and addiction, covering various aspects of mental health law, human rights, and therapeutic initiatives within the criminal justice system. Research activities have included a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden funded project on the therapeutic nature of New Zealand's specialist criminal courts, the role of advance directives in mental health, the operation of mental health review tribunals and district inspectors, and the implications of the United Nation Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disability for New Zealand. Katey is currently working on a Borrin Foundation-funded project, He Ture Kia Tika, to re-envisage the criminal justice system to better respond to people with intersecting mental health, addictions, and criminal justice histories. Recently, she was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden funding to extend her research focus to working with the police to improve responses to citizens in mental distress.