A psychiatric bail bed in a residential sick bay: A 1-year pilot study

Abstract

Conventional bail facilities are unsuitable for many mentally disordered defendants, leading to unnecessary remands in custody. In response to the recommendation in the Reed Report calling for specialist bail facilities, a psychiatric bail bed was created for 1 year in a residential sick bay. Over the year, 21 referrals were made, predominantly from court probation officers, and 10 bailees were admitted. The main diagnoses were schizophrenia and personality disorder. The outcomes are described and compared with data from conventional bail facilities. A larger study is required but preliminary findings support the establishment of psychiatric bail hostels in London.