A path not taken? Mentally disordered offenders and the criminal justice system

The long stated aim of UK Government policy has been to divert mentally disorderedoffenders from the Criminal Justice system to services where their mental health needscan be adequately addressed. An examination of the rates of mental disorder amongstthose appearing before the Courts and in the prison population shows that this policy isnot achieving its stated aims. This article considers two elements of possible police andsocial work involvement to examine the cultural shifts that are required to make thispolicy more effective