INTERAGENCY TRAINING TO SUPPORT THE LIAISON AND DIVERSION AGENDA

The Journal of Forensic Practice, 2022

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe programs that aim at programs to divert people with a mental condition from the criminal justice system to mental health services are being initiated, but reporting is limited and fragmented. This study described programs that aim at diverting persons with mental health conditions out of criminal justice systems to community mental health services, with the intention to inform research and practice. Design/methodology/approach A scoping review was used to map and synthesise diversion programs. Ten online data bases were searched. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews was used to direct the selection of sources. Research and evaluation publications and grey literature published from 2010 to 2021 in English language were included. Findings Eight distinct diversion programs were identified across 24 countries or territories covering five phases of the criminal justice process. D...

The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 2009

Abstract: Many criminal justice mental health diversion and liaison teams are under threat of extinction. Nacro (2005) notes a steady decline in their number, despite the fact that these schemes in principle provide a valuable service and can fit any social inclusion or crime preventative agenda. In order for such teams and schemes to thrive they need to be strengthened urgently, a point concurred with by Jack Straw when he asked Lord Bradley to undertake a review into mental health diversion as a means of reducing the prison population. But before these schemes can thrive they must survive. We, therefore, argue that research into their sustainability is required and here we introduce a tool we developed (MHEP-AC) that is now in use for that purpose.

Psychiatric Services, 1999

Psychiatric Services, 2013

The Journal of Adult Protection, 2010

Health & Justice

Background People in the criminal justice system have complex needs but often do not make use of services outside of prison, in many cases due to poorly joined up working between health and criminal justice services. The ‘Engager’ programme aimed to develop a complex collaborative care intervention for people leaving prison with common mental health problems that could support their transition into the community and facilitate joined up working between health, justice and social services. To augment our core intervention theory, we wanted to learn from innovative and forward-thinking services providing interagency support and/or treatment for people experiencing common mental health problems within the criminal justice system. We wanted to identify key elements of interagency practice to understand what was and was not effective in engaging people, maintaining their contact and improving mental health and other aspects of their lives. Method We used a multiple case study design with...

Social Policy and Society, 2012

Diversion services for adult mentally disordered offenders are back in the limelight twenty years after their original development. This article argues there are a number of important lessons to be learnt. Services of this kind 'process' different people in different ways with different outcomes. Current developments therefore need to provide an holistic, patientcentred approach across the whole offender pathway, which meets the needs of different groups of people. What works for some might not work for others, but patterns can be mapped and good and bad pathways identified and used to inform good practice and service improvement.

2021

We would like to thank the following who met with us and provided information during the preparation of this report • The patients and families of patients in the Central Mental Hospital • The prisoners in Cloverhill Prison and Mountjoy Men's and Women's Prisons • The chief prison officers, chief nurses, and prison officers in Cloverhill Prison and Mountjoy Men's and Women's Prisons • Consultant psychiatrists and teams in the National Forensic Mental Health Services

Improving Interagency Collaboration, Innovation and Learning in Criminal Justice Systems, 2021

In prison, the provision of care and the surveillance of inmates takes place in multiple locations with several often contradictory demands. Inmates may experience a fragmentation of services because of the separate silos in which criminal justice service and mental health professionals work and the distinct ways of working that develop within these. A greater alignment between services is required. This chapter focuses on interagency meetings in a Norwegian prison. These are groups that aim to develop an holistic perspective of the inmate’s situation and problems, and are seen as an innovative way to overcome the contradiction between ‘treatment’ and ‘punishment’ prison paradigms applied by the different professionals working together in the prison and mental health services. We analysed how the professionals interact at interagency meetings, and how they align their tasks, goals, roles and expertise to support the inmate’s imprisonment and rehabilitation. Our analysis illustrates ...

The American journal of psychiatry, 2017

Psychiatric interventions have moved toward the criminal justice system. Every large jail and prison in the United States must offer psychiatric services to inmates in order to comply with the Eighth Amendment and established case law (1). Nearly all sizable emergency departments have access to psychiatric consultation. Very few psychiatrists in the United States are employed by a law enforcement agency and work alongside detectives, conduct evaluations in the field, assist with training, and participate in community outreach (2, 3). The need for collaboration between psychiatry and law enforcement is stronger than ever. Over the past 20 years, the number of hospital beds has been cut, and interactions between psychiatric patients and law enforcement have increased (4-6). Partnerships between law enforcement and psychiatry can augment the efforts of psychologists and other clinicians who are more prevalent within law enforcement. See related features: Clinical Guidance (Table of Contents) and AJP Audio (online)

International Journal of Prisoner Health, 2007

We would like to express our thanks to all of the probation staff across the East Midlands who took the time and trouble to complete evaluation paperwork for this project; and to the 'train the trainers' who worked hard to roll-out the training across the region. Also, thanks to Mark Gardner (Probation Officer, NPS Leicestershire and Rutland) for his continued enthusiasm and support with delivery of the training; and to Simon Pollard (Training Manager, NPS Lincolnshire) and the regional probation training officers' group for their support with getting the project off the ground. Finally, we would like to express our thanks to the offender health team, East Midlands CSIP for funding this project.

Psychiatric Services, 2001

Prisons have become the homes of thousands of inmates who have mental disorders. The stress of incarceration can cause morbidity among these individuals, resulting in more severe symptoms and more disruptive behavior. Effective treatment for such inmates often involves services provided by a multidisciplinary treatment team that includes correctional officers. Correctional officers can assist in observations and interventions, and they play a unique role on specialized housing units. Successful collaboration between correctional officers and treatment teams requires a foundation of mutual respect, shared training, and ongoing communication and cooperation. With these elements in place, correctional officers can assist the treatment team and make important and constructive contributions to the assessment and management of offenders who have mental disorders. (Psychiatric Services 52:1343-1347, 2001) M Mu ul lt ti id di is sc ci ip pl li in na ar ry y R Ro ol le es s i in n t th he e 2 21 1s st t C Ce en nt tu ur ry y

Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2019

At a time when societal problems and systems are becoming increasingly complex, a statewide human services agency in Connecticut, called "The Connection," has adopted a human approach to care. Far from being impractical or irrelevant, we have found this philosophy to be at the core of its success, which has the potential to inform similar agencies worldwide. At a time in the U.S. when most agencies are reducing their services and trying merely to survive in a climate of little concern for disadvantaged populations, The Connection has been expanding and thriving while taking care of the sickest, the neediest, and the most high-risk populations. It addresses social challenges at the most basic level, "making connections" between criminal justice, mental health, and social support services through a simplification of principles that allows for their integration. In this article, we review the elements that have led to its efficacy, the scientific support for it, and potential pitfalls.