Criminal Justice - Lord Bradley's review
In 2008, Lord Bradley was asked to review the Criminal Justice System in terms of mental health and learning disability. This page explains what has happened since.
What was Lord Bradley's review about?
Lord Bradley focused on how well people with mental health problems are diverted out of criminal justice and into health services where appropriate. 
The review also looked at the 'care pathway' from point of arrest through to resettlement in the community as it is essential that there is the same access to treatment and support as would be expected in the community.
Rethink Mental Illness has been involved with Lord Bradley's review from the start. We facilitated a panel of mental health service users and carers to speak about their experience of the criminal justice system.
Lord Bradley incorporated all of our panel's suggestions and described how "the service users and carers I met through Rethink were crucial to my understanding of how it really felt to be on the receiving end of how the criminal justice system treats people with a mental health problem. Their insights on how the system can be improved will be central to the effective implementation of my recommendations".
Lord Bradley's 2009 report on his findings made recommendations for the Government to consider. See Lord Bradley's report here: The Bradley Report 2009 (2834 kb) ![[pdf]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/pdf.gif)
Rethink Mental Illness activists speak out
On 24th November, Louise Philip joined Rethink in the House of Lords for an event with commissioners and professionals from across the criminal justice system. Along with Lord Bradley, Louise and Denise Denton were keynote speakers and told the audience about their experiences - as a service user and as a carer - of the criminal justice and mental health system.
Rethink Mental Illness activist Louise speaks out
What happens next? We need you!
As recommended by Lord Bradley, the Government has brought together a Programme Board to put recommendations into practice.
This Board brings together relevant health and criminal justice departments, and agencies responsible for providing certain services at national and regional levels.
In November 2009, the Health & Criminal Justice Programme Board published a Delivery Plan. This plan sets out the Government's commitments to support implementation. It also sets out what needs to be done specifically in primary care, social care and by police, prisons and probation services, amongst others.
Rethink Mental Illness is a member of the National Advisory Group set up to work alongside the Programme Board. In addition we have set up a service user and carer advisory panel. Although this panel is now full, we are keen to hear about your experiences. If you would like to write about your exerience of mental illness and the criminal justice system, please send it by post or email to Claire West. We will use your experiences as the basis for our campaigning work to improve the system for people affected by mental illness.
In addition, we would like to hear from you if you are campaigning locally on these issues, so please contact campaigns@rethink.org.
See the Health & Criminal Justice Delivery Plan here: Improving Health, Supporting Justice (Bradley review delivery plan) (2238 kb)
The diversion dividend: interim report
Read the human stories behind the diversion debate and see the interim results of a project begun by Sainsbury Centre and Rethink Mental Illness to quantify the costs and benefits of diversion. A final report will follow later in 2010.
Diversion_Dividend (315 kb)
What can I do?
- Ask your local health trust what they are doing as a result of the Bradley Review.
- Download our activist briefing with top tips on what else you can do to help our criminal justice campaign.Bradley review activist briefing Dec 5.doc (62 kb)
![[doc]](http://www.rethink.org/display_images/document_icons/doc.gif)
- Send campaigns@rethink.org an account of your experience of mental illness and the criminal justice system that we can use to inform our campaigning.
- Tell us about your local campaigning on criminal justice system issues by post or email.
