Community forensic psychiatric services in England and Wales

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-617
Author(s):  
Richard Latham ◽  
Hannah Kate Williams

Forensic psychiatry is an established medical specialty in England and Wales. Although its origins lie in the 19th century, the development of secure hospitals accelerated in the late 20th century. Services for mentally disordered offenders in the community have developed most recently and it is these services, which are the focus of this article. We have looked broadly at community services and have included criminal justice liaison and diversion services in our remit. We have also considered partnerships between health and justice agencies as well as mental health and criminal legislation. We consider the limited research evidence in relation to community forensic services and the discussion this has provoked.

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
I O Nnatu ◽  
F Mahomed ◽  
A Shah

The population of the elderly in most developed nations is on the increase. Furthermore, the prevalence of mental disorder amongst elderly offenders is high. The true extent of `elderly' crime is unknown because much of it goes undetected and unreported. This leads to a failure to detect mental illness in such offenders. Court diversion schemes may improve recognition of mental illness but these schemes usually tend to deal with the more severe crimes. This may result in an overestimation of the amount of serious crime committed by the elderly and a failure to detect mental illness amongst those who commit less serious crimes. Efforts to service this hidden morbidity call for multi-agency collaboration. Improved detection and reporting of crimes is essential if mental health difficulties in the elderly are not to go unnoticed. The needs of elderly mentally-disordered offenders are complex and fall within the expertise of old age and forensic psychiatry, without being adequately met by either one. Therefore, consideration should be given to the development of a tertiary specialist forensic old-age psychiatry service.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.B. Menezes ◽  
F. Oyebode ◽  
M.S. Haque

Our aim was to compare socio-demographic, clinical and criminal characteristics of mentally disordered offender patients in a special institution in a developing and a developed country. Zimbabwe data from 1980-1990 was obtained from a hospital patient survey, in a written semi-structured format. The English special (high security) hospital patients' data for the same period was obtained from the case register. The sample size for Zimbabwe was 367 patients (337 males, 30 females) and for England and Wales it was 1,966 patients (1,643 males, 323 females). The average age for Zimbabwean patients was 36 years, with standard deviation of 9.7; for England and Wales the average age was 29.7 with standard deviation of 9.6. There was significant difference in marital status in the two countries. Seventy-eight per cent of patients were single in England and Wales, compared with 49% in Zimbabwe. There were 20% illiterate patients in Zimbabwe, compared with 4% in England and Wales. Thirty-seven per cent of the patients in England and Wales had a diagnosis of personality disorder, compared with 6% in Zimbabwe. There were 53% of homicides in Zimbabwe, compared with 20% in England and Wales. Employment in the two countries was similar: 34% in Zimbabwe and 33% in England and Wales. There were differences in the socio-demographic characteristics in the two countries, except for employment status. Differences were also noticed in the diagnoses of the patients, types of crime and the methods of assault.


Bioethics ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTIAN MUNTHE ◽  
SUSANNA RADOVIC ◽  
HENRIK ANCKARSÄTER

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1189
Author(s):  
Emilia Vassilopoulou ◽  
Dimitris Efthymiou ◽  
Evangelia Papatriantafyllou ◽  
Maria Markopoulou ◽  
Efthymia-Maria Sakellariou ◽  
...  

Mentally disordered offenders provided with forensic psychiatric care are often treated with second generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication and experience metabolic and inflammatory side effects. Aim: In this paper, we monitored the three-year fluctuation of selected anthropometric, biochemical, and inflammatory indices in forensic psychiatric patients receiving antipsychotic (AP) medication for more than five years, according to the type of AP. Methods: Thirty-five patients with psychotic disorders were classified into two groups based on the type of AP. Specifically: AP1, related to a lower risk, and AP2, related to an increased risk of weight gain (WG) and metabolic complications. Biochemical, hematological, anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and medication data were retrieved from the individual medical files. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23. Results: No significant differences in weight and glucose and cholesterol levels were observed, but patients taking AP2 more often needed drugs to control diabetes mellitus (DM), lipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In those taking AP1, the mean HDL level decreased significantly over time (p < 0.05) and a higher proportion developed higher BP (52.9% of AP1 vs. 16.7% AP2). In the AP2 group the median level of C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.001) and the white blood cell count (WBC) increased over the three years (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The proposed sub-classification of SGAs into AP1 and AP2, depending on their potential for metabolic and inflammatory effects, might facilitate study of their long-term side-effects but also help in personalized prevention or treatment measures to counteract these side-effects.


Author(s):  
Lisa Wootton ◽  
Tom Fahy ◽  
Simon Wilson

This chapter examines community psychiatric service provision for mentally disordered offenders, focussing on the United Kingdom and United States. In doing so, it acknowledges that mentally disordered offenders are at risk of rejection and of falling between services. They are doubly stigmatized by having a mental illness and being offenders. It explores the context, commissioning, components of a service, and models of care (including the evidence base for them). Also considered are the pros and cons of specialist services, as well as how they might differentiate their task from that of the CMHT. The chapter concludes by considering how services can work together to meet the needs of this complex and challenging group of patients.


1993 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Davis

Bill C-30, implemented in February 1992, made a number of significant changes to the Criminal Code provisions concerning the assessment, treatment and disposition of mentally disordered persons charged with a crime, including persons considered to be unfit to stand trial or pleading insanity. The changes deal mainly with procedural law and the civil rights of persons being assessed or held in custody, and put limits on where, how long and for what purpose persons may be detained. The new law abolishes the automatic, indeterminate detention of persons found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder. The changes may mean that the forensic psychiatric route is now a more “attractive option” for defendants. The new law may create administrative problems for clinicians by leading to increased requests for psychiatric assessments while at the same time constraining the assessment process.


1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Green Christopher ◽  
Laurence J. Naismith

ABSTRACT: An outline is presented of the development and practice of forensic psychiatry, including relevant legal aspects, in Canada, in comparison to the English system. It is written by two English-trained psychiatrists, who have provided forensic services in both Canada and England. Canadian forensic psychiatry is portrayed as having a greater medico-legal emphasis than at present in England, with a continuing dependence on the insanity verdict for seriously mentally disordered offenders. Canadian forensic psychiatric institutions are often attached to the correctional system, whereas in England they are under the Department of Health. Within this framework, the article elaborates upon clinical and medico-legal differences.


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