The above letter was sent to Drs. Wolff and Colleagues, who offered the following reply

Mentally disordered offenders: The need for integration and the smart design of services

“…During the last few years, it has been suggested that various forms of housing should be integrated in a care plan. 18 Indeed, the current trend, internationally, is to create community mental healthcare services. To allow decision makers to design and provide adequate treatment and housing solutions for patients with complex needs, it is of great importance that all authorities concerned are provided with well-founded prerequisites for collaboration and that a platform for joint decisions is formed.…”

“…International studies have also shown that the lack of cooperation across organisational boundaries can lead to a number of consequences for subjects with mental illness, such as homelessness, social exclusion and substance abuse. 10 Even though different incentives towards changes and efforts for collaborative measures have been presented, 11 there are still few concrete suggestions regarding how to create strategies for integrating the systems and services used by mentally disordered offenders. In Sweden, as well as internationally, there is currently no platform where decision makers from different professions can come together, exchange information and develop treatment plans.…”

“…Insufficiencies within the sector have been pointed out on a systems level, referring to Kristiansson bureaucratised organisations that lack capacity for holistic approaches, as well as on a services level, referring to barriers restricting smooth transferral between service systems. 4 Moreover, several studies have shown that parallel, uncoordinated treatment schemes of mentally disordered subjects with a substance abuse of alcohol and/or drugs are common and lack efficiency. 5,6 To gain a holistic view and long-term solution, the coordination of services is vital for various reasons.…”