title: Crossing the line: should the threshold for admission of mentally disordered offenders be lowered?
abstract: Despite repeated support from central government, the policy of diversion from custody remains at best a partial success. One reason for this may be the conflict between this policy and the move towards community-based mental health services. This paper explores the criteria that might be applied when deciding whether or not to admit a mentally disordered offender to hospital, and the differences between these and the criteria which might apply in a community setting. The authors conclude that there are compelling reasons why the threshold for admission of offender patients should be different from that for non-offender patients, and that the principle of deinstitutionalisation of mental health services should be modified when applied to forensic populations.
authors.affiliation: Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aldridge
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D011330:Prisons; D006113:United Kingdom; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence