Essex Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion Service Welcomes Leaders from Prison Reform Trust

SEPT’s Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion (L&D) Service welcomed the Rt. Hon. Lord Bradley, Prison Reform Trust Trustee, Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust and Jenny Talbot OBE, Director of the Care not Custody Programme, to Essex last Friday, 25 November. Hosted by SEPT’s Clinical Lead-Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion Team, Janet Childs, our visitors stopped in at Basildon’s police station and magistrates’ court where they had the opportunity to hear first-hand how the L & D service is benefiting local people.

Their visit then brought them to SEPT’s medium and low secure unit, Brockfield House, where they met with the multi-agency leads involved in this important programme, service users, carers and the staff that provide the service.

Rt. Hon. Lord Bradley, author of the 2009 independent review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system (The Bradley Report), said: “Liaison and diversion helps ensure a fairer and more effective response to people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and other needs caught up in the justice system. During my visit to the Essex service it was especially encouraging to learn about progress made in the planning and delivery of local services, and to hear at first hand the benefits of early identification and integrated working. This way of working is critical to break the cycle of offenders with vulnerabilities moving in and out of the prison estate.”

Peter Dawson, Director of the Prison Reform Trust said: “Areas such as Essex are leading the way in ensuring vulnerable people caught in the criminal justice system receive necessary treatment and care. Many people with mental health conditions or learning disabilities require support to help them engage with the criminal justice process. For some, diversion out of the justice system into health and social care will be the better option. Effective joint working and robust arrangements for detailed assessment at an early stage are vital if vulnerable people are not to slip through the cracks of the system and end up in custody.”

SEPT’s Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion Team provides a service for people aged 10 years and over who are in the criminal justice system and have been identified as having mental health problems, learning disabilities or difficulties, cognitive disorder, substance misuse and other vulnerabilities. This extends to police stations, the courts, prisons and the probation service.

The teams provide a comprehensive service including:

• screening people within the criminal justice system at the earliest opportunity and ensuring that their needs are met in the best setting, be it hospital, community or custody;
• providing one point of access for criminal justice agencies to request information and advice, or assessment of people who appear to present symptoms of mental health or have a history of mental health problems;
• act as a conduit for individuals who are due for release from prison to ensure appropriate referral on to mental health services;
• attending multi-agency public protection meetings to assist in the management of complex cases;
• providing training on mental health to criminal justice agencies;
• providing information to offender managers to inform pre- sentence reports and enable appropriate disposals from court.

Pictured: (Left to right) Denise Cook, Director of Specialist Services-SEPT, Peter Dawson, Director-Prison Reform Trust, Sally Morris, Chief Executive-SEPT, Rt. Hon. Lord Bradley, Jenny Talbot OBE, Director-Care not Custody Programme, Dr. Raman Deo, Consultant Psychiatrist, Janet Childs, Clinical Lead – Criminal Justice L&D Service.