Criminal justice

As the government’s delivery plan, published in November, 2009, highlights, government agencies, public and third sector organisations now have a duty to work together to deliver a better quality of service for those with mental health needs in the criminal justice system.

The opportunity afforded to me by Rethink to be involved has proven to be extraordinary, humbling and encouraging.

Dawn - Service user, volunteer and participant of the Lord Bradley review

Championing the service user and carer voice

Rethink believes that the involvement of service users and carers in the planning and delivery of criminal justice services is critical to reducing reoffending. Rethink’s service user and carer panel was a crucial element of Lord Bradley’s Review of Diversion and the criminal justice system. In the report’s foreword Lord Bradley noted being “particularly grateful to Rethink... for ensuring user and carer involvement in the review”. A number of case studies from members of our panel are included throughout his report, and our key asks are echoed through his recommendations.

Cost modelling for service development

Rethink, with the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, has convened an expert panel including members of the Department of Health, the London Offender Health Team and service users and carers to assess what fiscal savings some of Lord Bradley’s recommendations are likely to make.

Our criminal justice services

Training and Workforce Development

Rethink’s National Information and Advice Service, working with Janey Antoniou, a service user and experienced trainer, provided training sessions for officers from a range of services including the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset.
We worked with CSIP (Care Services Improvement Partnership), now the NMHDU (The National Mental Health Development Unit) to provide mental health awareness training to officers in nine prisons.
We have been commissioned by Time to Change, the largest national anti-stigma campaign, to deliver a mental health awareness training programme to GPs in a number of local authorities.
Our housing services offer induction sessions for police officers, giving an insight into mental illness and its effects on a person’s functioning and behaviour.
We have developed and successfully rolled out a mental health awareness package which we are now adapting for use within in the criminal justice system.

Wellbeing services

We offer wellbeing courses to prisoners in HMP Birmingham and Swinfen Young Offenders Institution, raising awareness of mental wellbeing and mental illness, suggesting activities to promote mental wellbeing and self management and also offering ongoing support on release.

This includes ensuring that prisoners obtain appropriate support from other agencies such as registering with a GP or with relevant secondary care mental health services. The Swinfen Healthy Living Course won a prestigious World Health Organisation best practice award for health in 2007.

Direct support services in the community

We provide a range of direct support services in the community to people with mental health difficulties who have been involved in the criminal justice system or are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. This includes:

mentoring services offering listening support, information, signposting, advice and advocacy. E.g. our Mendos service in Brighton and Hove provides medium term support for clients of whom the majority have committed violent or sexual offences and present with complex needs.
housing support services that offer tenancy and floating support for ex-offenders and advice to enable people to manage their mental health and engage with appropriate support agencies. E.g. our Gateshead Mentally Disordered Offenders Floating support service is for people under the supervision of the National Probation Service where mental health is an issue.
advice and support services in courts for offenders and their families, to aid resettlement and reintegration with the aim of reducing offending. Rethink’s CASS service links courts to their local communities in the South West and ensures that families and partners of prisoners are assisted at the point of sentence so they understand more about the court and prison systems.
we are developing our ‘in prison’ wellbeing services for use in the community.

“In 2006 I helped set up the Healthy Living Course working with two other prisoners on the pilot run and got really involved with Rethink. This course taught me about prisoners’ mental health issues and their perception by others and prison staff and the community prior to their detention and during their detention.”

Ceri, Swinfen Young Offenders Institution.