Government policy on mentally disordered offenders and its implementation

Abstract

Government policy on mentally disordered offenders MDOs 1983-95 has been consistent and explicit and it is now widely accepted that MDOs should be cared for in the health and social care systems and not in the criminal justice system. However, there is a perception, given particular prominence by some recent high profile court cases, that the implementation of the policy is in difficulty. Closer examination suggests that current implementation has been affected by multi-agency under-investment throughout the 1980s and by differences in the approach to policy implementation by agencies after the Reed Review 1992. However, the current position reflects considerable investment in the health and social care systems since 1992 although many agencies believe there is more to be done. It is with this in mind that a new set of guiding principles for policy implementation are proposed with a view to increasing the sophistication of the dialogue between health and social care agencies and the criminal justice system. The aim is to ensure maximum benefit from the opportunities presented by further changes to the commissioning and delivery of services in each system.