Identification and management of prisoners with severe psychiatric illness by specialist mental health services

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1511-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Senior ◽  
L. Birmingham ◽  
M. A. Harty ◽  
L. Hassan ◽  
A. J. Hayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Case Note ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Prevalence Survey ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
Case Note Review

BackgroundThe prevalence of mental disorders among prisoners is considerably higher than in the general population. This is an important public health issue as the vast majority of prisoners stay in custody for less than 9 months and, when not in prison, offenders' lifestyles are frequently chaotic, characterized by social exclusion, instability and unemployment. Multi-disciplinary mental health inreach services were introduced to target care towards prisoners with severe mental illness (SMI) in a similar way to that provided by Community Mental Health Teams outside prison. The aim was to establish the proportion of prisoners with SMI who were assessed and managed by prison mental health inreach services.MethodA two-phase prevalence survey in six prisons in England measured SMI upon reception into custody. Case-note review established the proportion of those with SMI subsequently assessed and treated by inreach services.ResultsOf 3492 prisoners screened, 23% had SMI. Inreach teams assessed only 25% of these unwell prisoners, and accepted just 13% onto their caseloads.ConclusionsInreach teams identified and managed only a small proportion of prisoners with SMI. Prison-based services need to improve screening procedures and develop effective care pathways to ensure access to appropriate services. Improved identification of mental illness is needed in both the community and the Criminal Justice System to better engage with socially transient individuals who have chaotic lifestyles and complex needs.

scholarly journals Policing, Crime and Mental Illness in England and Wales: Insights from the Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Frank Kitt ◽  
Colin Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Public Agencies ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Police Service ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Made In

Mental illness pervades most societies, but it is only recently that its impact and effects upon individuals has slowly been recognised in England and Wales. When people suffering from this illness become involved with various public agencies, the way they are dealt with appears inconsistent and on occasions ends in tragedy. One agency that is constantly in contact with people who suffer mental health illness is the police service. Some high profile cases have clearly illustrated misunderstandings and the fact that the police are not generally equipped to deal with such individuals. This article considers a brief history and theoretical backcloth to police understanding and framing of mental illness in England and Wales, and explores the National Liaison and Diversion Model as an alternative to traditional police understanding and response. The article suggests that only by understanding the historical context, and literature, surrounding mental illness, can improvements be made in the criminal justice system as a whole and within the police service in particular.

scholarly journals La réforme du Code criminel canadien en matière de troubles mentaux et son impact sur la détention des justiciables

Criminologie ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Laberge ◽  
Daphné Morin ◽  
Marie Robert
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Research Trend ◽  
Major Research ◽  
Legal Process ◽  
Judicial Process ◽  
Troubles Mentaux

This article discusses how pre-trial detention has become an important instrument in the treatment of the accused whose mental state has been questioned during the judicial process. This study is part of a major research trend centered on the hypothesis of criminalization of the mental illness. This hypothesis has been defined as a shift of groups of the population from the mental health system to the criminal justice system. First, the authors examine how the Criminal Code's dispositions and those regarding mental disorder, which have been revised in February 1992, can be associated with the Court's decisions regarding the release of the accused during the legal process. Then, the authors continue to look into the question concerning the articulation of dual decisional logic (judicial and psychiatric) by studying approximately 1 000 cases heard before the Criminal and Penal Chamber of the Québec Court in Montréal in 1992-1993, in which the mental illness issue was raised. This analysis will try to demonstrate a link between pre-trial detention and mental health problems. It will also show that, despite the adoption of the principle of presumption against custody during assessment orders regarding mental disorder, the Court practices are changing slowly and the new dispositions are rarely used.

Mental health, permanent housing, and peer support through community living in the Fairweather Lodge: implementation through collaboration

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Bermingham ◽  
Christopher F. Manlick ◽  
William Ming Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Housing Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
Employment Needs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the history of the Fairweather Lodge Program, its utility, the development of one program in a small Midwestern city, the role of psychology, and the importance of disseminating information about the program to combat homelessness. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes a short case study approach to describing the evolution of a peer support-based housing program for individuals with serious mental illness and a history of homelessness. Findings – The Fairweather Lodge facilitates peer support, community engagement, stable housing, and work engagement in those struggling with mental illness and homelessness. Originality/value – The Fairweather Lodge Program is a program intended to support the mental health and employment needs of individuals with severe mental illness who are at increased risk of homelessness. Housing alone often does not address the complex needs of chronically homeless individuals.

scholarly journals Smartphone Health Assessment for Relapse Prevention (SHARP): a digital solution toward global mental health

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Rodriguez-Villa ◽  
Urvakhsh Meherwan Mehta ◽  
John Naslund ◽  
Deepak Tugnawat ◽  
Snehil Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Relapse Prevention ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Two Phase

Background Predicting and preventing relapse presents a crucial opportunity and first step to improve outcomes and reduce the care gap for persons living with schizophrenia. Using commercially available smartphones and smartwatches, technology now affords opportunities to capture real-time and longitudinal profiles of patients’ symptoms, cognition, physiology and social patterns. This novel data makes it possible to explore relationships between behaviours, physiology and symptoms, which may yield personalised relapse signals. Aims Smartphone Health Assessment for Relapse Prevention (SHARP), an international mental health research study supported by the Wellcome Trust, will inform the development of a scalable and sharable digital health solution to monitor personal risk of relapse. The resulting technology will be studied toward predicting and preventing relapse among individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness. Method SHARP is a two-phase study with research sites in Boston, Massachusetts, and Bangalore and Bhopal, India. During phase 1, focus groups will be conducted at each study site to collect feedback on the design and features available on mindLAMP, a digital health platform. Individuals with serious mental illness will use mindLAMP for the duration of a year during phase 2. Results The results of the research outlined in this protocol will guide the development of technology and digital tools to help address pervasive challenges in global mental health. Conclusions The digital tools developed as a result of this study, and participants’ experiences using them, may offer insight into opportunities to expand digital mental health resources and optimize their utilisation around the world.

Economics of decriminalizing mental illness: when doing the right thing costs less

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 566-570
Author(s):  
Darci Delgado ◽  
Ashley Breth ◽  
Shelley Hill ◽  
Katherine Warburton ◽  
Stephen M. Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Diversion Programs ◽  
State Hospitals ◽  
Complicated Process ◽  
The Right ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Sheer Number

The United States’ criminal justice system has seen exponential growth in costs related to the incarceration of persons with mental illness. Jails, prisons, and state hospitals’ resources are insufficient to adequately treat the sheer number of individuals cycling through their system. Reversing the cycle of criminalization of mental illness is a complicated process, but mental health diversion programs across the nation are uniquely positioned to do just that. Not only are these programs providing humane treatment to individuals within the community and breaking the cycle of recidivism, the potential fiscal savings are over 1 billion dollars.

Commentary on Alexander (1993)

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-390
Author(s):  
SETH C. KALICHMAN
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Sexually Violent

This commentary on Alexander's article concerning civil commitment of sex offenders concludes that the failure of the mental health sciences to define the psychosexual pathology of sexually violent adults has resulted in an inability to address these disturbances in the criminal justice system. This situation will likely contribute to the social threats posed by sexual offenders. It is suggested that researchers work to establish the mental illness parameters of sexual violence.

Admissions to a national forensic hospital 1997-2003

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Wright ◽  
Conor O'Neill ◽  
Harry G Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Forensic Hospital ◽  
Resource Needs

AbstractObjectives: We set out to review all admissions from the criminal justice system to the Central Mental Hospital from January 1997 to December 2003, with particular attention to patient diagnoses, offences, source of admission, length of stay, and patterns of discharge. This study was undertaken to assist with future service planning and determination of resource needs.Methods: The service maintains a combination of electronic and handwritten records of all admissions. Information was extracted concerning all admissions from January 1, 1997 to December 30, 2003. The data was analysed using a statistical package, SPSS 11.0 for Windows.Results: Nine hundred and eighty-six admissions of 780 individuals from the criminal justice system were recorded from January 1997 to December 2003. There has been an increase in the proportion of patients admitted suffering with severe mental illness. There has also been a significant shift in the pattern of discharges, with a higher proportion of patients leaving to return to their local hospital. The proportion of admissions returned to prison has fallen from 91.1 % in 1999 to 64.7% in 2003, while 3.3% of individuals admitted became new long-stay cases.Conclusions: A shift in the profile of patients admitted in recent years reflects changes within the National Forensic Mental Health Service. An increased provision of regular and structured psychiatric input to the prisons has facilitated the identification of prisoners with mental illness. The shift from prison liaison to diversion from the Criminal Justice System to mental health services is however in its early stages.

scholarly journals Which patients do GPs refer to which professional

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 584-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. O'Neill-Byrne ◽  
Sally M. Browning
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Professional ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Mental Health Professional ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Case Note ◽  
London Borough ◽  
Health Centres ◽  
Case Note Review

Referral rates to three groups of mental health professionals working In primary care were compared. All patients referred over an 18-month period at two health centres in an outer London borough were assessed by case-note review and data were collected on 181 consecutive referrals. In general, younger, more socially-stable patients were referred to the psychologist and older patients were seen by the CPN. The psychologist saw most new patients; patients previously seen by a psychiatrist were most likely to be referred again to a psychiatrist. Patients requesting referral to a mental health professional were most likely to be referred to the psychologist. Patients with a diagnosis of psychosis were seen mainly by the psychiatrist and the CPN; the psychiatrist saw most patients with a personality disorder. A high proportion of patients were seen for assessment only. In general, all interventions were brief. There was evidence of selection by GPs in the referral of patients to each mental health professional.

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