Charities Call For Rethink On Offenders With Mental Health Problems

A forum of charities involved in the fields of mental health and criminal justice have called for major changes to ensure that more people remain out of custody, with a special focus on children and women.

Mind, Nacro and Rethink have issued a joint response to the government’s Improving Health, Supporting Justice strategy, communitycare.co.uk reports.

They have called for a bigger role for social care in the management of offenders in order to improve their chances of having a family to return to following incarceration.

Paul Cavadino, chief executive of Nacro, said: “Nacro welcomes the government’s consultation on this issue.

“But the real challenge will be in providing an action plan to implement the changes that are so clearly needed.”

He added that it is key that the criminal justice system is able to identify those offenders who have mental health problems a soon as is possible.

The initiative from the government was a joint project from the Department of Health, Department of Children, Schools and Families, Ministry of Justice, Youth Justice Board and Home Office, with consultation ending last week.