“Something to lose”: Case management for mentally disordered offenders

Abstract

Case management systems have been seen as a means of responding to the complex interaction of health and social care needs which may lead to offending. This study examines the potential of an approach such as case management. Offending, clinical and social outcomes are reported for eight subjects who all had histories of severe and persistent mental illness and serious offending. The processes of offending, treatment by the courts and the delivery of case management are described. Through the development of a long-term relationship, focusing on health and social care, case managers were able to help with the offending behaviour of five of the clients. This small scale study demonstrates the potential of case management approaches for mentally disordered offenders and also shows the need for larger scale research.