Diversion at the point of arrest: mentally disordered people and contact with the police

Riordan, Sharon; Wix, Stuart; Kenney‐Herbert, Jeremy; Humphreys, Martin

doi:10.1080/09585180010004937

Cited by 21 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The referral and screening process seem appropriate in that 91% of women assessed were deemed to have a mental illness; this compares favourably with the 85% and 90% identified by other police station-based schemes in England and Wales (James, 1999;Riordan et al, 2000). Previous research has shown high levels of mental disorder in female sentenced prisoners (O'Brien et al, 2003;Prison Reform Trust, 2004) especially among single women (Badger et al, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The mental health needs of women detained in police custody

Scott

McGilloway

Donnelly

2009

Journal of Mental Health

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Background: This paper describes and appraises the work of a city centre Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion (CJLD) service in relation to contact with female Mentally Disordered Offenders (MDOs). Aims: To describe the population of female detainees referred to the service by examining administrative outcomes and psychiatric assessment data. Method: Two Community Mental Health Nurses (CMHNs) collected information on the mental health needs and service utilization of MDOs over a three-year period. Information on psychiatric history, offending history and recommended follow-up services is also presented. Results: One-in-five (217/1089) detainees assessed by the service were female, 91% of whom had a mental illness. Two-thirds were ''cases'' on the GHQ whilst 58% attained ''above threshold'' BPRS scores; 43% and 54% respectively had a history of harming others or themselves. Most had previous contact with mental health services. The majority (59%) were referred to their GPs following assessment. Conclusions: Many women with mental illness are arrested and detained in police custody. The CJLD service effectively identified, assessed and linked the majority of female MDOs to services. Declaration of interest: None.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

The mental health needs of women detained in police custody

Scott

McGilloway

Donnelly

2009

Journal of Mental Health

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“…Of those referred, 31% were admitted to hospital and 44% of those not admitted were referred on to community services. A similarly successful scheme in Birmingham was described by Riordan (2000), with community psychiatric nurses providing a 24-hour service, 7 days a week. Successful recognition of those with mental disorder has led to early diversion and provision of care.…”

Section: Police Station Diversion Schemesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentally disordered detainees in the police station: the role of the psychiatrist

Kent¹,

Gunasekaran²

2010

Adv. psychiatr. treat

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SummaryA significant number of people who come into contact with the police have a mental disorder. Attending the police station to assess detainees forms a significant part of most psychiatrists' work. The role of the psychiatrist includes assessing for the presence of mental disorder, advising on diversion from custody and assessing detainees' fitness to be interviewed. This article, based on data primarily from the UK, looks at issues involved for psychiatrists attending police stations, including pathways to care, epidemiology, assessment of detainees under the Mental Health Act 1983, fitness of detainees to be interviewed and aspects of training.

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“…The success of diversion services in diverting offenders from the criminal justice system has been described (Exworthy & Parrot, 1994;Joseph & Potter, 1993), in particular, those schemes offering assessment and diversion at the point of arrest (James, 2000;Riordan, Wix, Kenney-Herbert, & Humphreys, 2000). Diversion schemes also provide rapid assessment and transfer from prison to psychiatric care when a need is identified (Weaver et al, 1997).…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%