1. Widening the Net: Assertive Outreach and Criminal Justice
Graham Durcan and Rob Fitzpatrick

2. How can offenders with complex needs get a better deal from mainstream services?

3. The offending population
Type of problem
Prevalence among prisoners
Prevalence in general population
Psychosis 8%
0.5%
Personality Disorder
66%
5.3%
Neurotic Disorder
45%
13.8%
Drug Dependency
5.2%
Alcohol Dependency
30%
11.5%
(Singleton et al. 1998)
(Singleton et al. 2001)

4. Social exclusion Most unemployed before and after prison
Around half have housing problems pre and post prison
RDA study: 49% people with MH problems had no permanent residence on release
Learning disability borderline disability, learning difficulty all highly prevalent.
Half have no doctor on release
Debt problems widespread
Most reconvicted

5. Sub-threshold mental illness and complex needs
Multiple problems/needs/vulnerabilities is the default
In a Sainsbury Centre study most prisoners had experienced multiple trauma in childhood /adolescent years
Prison adds to difficulties – health and social
Multiple problems - but often individual problems are sub-threshold
Sainsbury Centre prison caseload profiling

6. Adults facing chronic exclusion
Multiple need: mental illness; personality disorder; alcohol dependence; drug dependence; learning disability; adult neuro-developmental disorders
Chaotic lives: difficulty dealing with paperwork; difficulty managing money; no formal qualifications; no confidant; few friends; unemployed; highly mobile; low income
(Schneider et al 2007)

7. Why divert?
92,500 prisoners in the UK (Eng’ /Wales=83,000 )
100,000 plus predicted for 2014
Huge rate of ‘churn’ & inter-prison transfers
Prison building programme-negative investment
Mental Health Act and prisons
Diversion – variability and poor coverage
Justice reinvestment
Multi-modal approaches (wrap around: MST& RAP)

8. Criminal Justice Diversion (1)
The full model is available from

9. Criminal Justice Diversion (2)
The Bradley Review
Early intervention
Courts
Prison, community sentences, resettlement
Partnerships

10. New Horizons NSF 10 year plan that’s almost 10 years New Horizons
Young people complex need
Offenders
Complex need
Early intervention
Assertive working

11. Question 1
Your experience of working with offenders?
Barriers to accessing mainstream services?
Working with criminal justice and social care agencies?

12. Question 2
In a time of recession - A job for whom?

13. Question 3
What kind of clinical & non clinical interventions should be available to offenders with complex needs? - how should these be organised?

14. Question 4
What interagency partnerships are required to improve the access of offenders to appropriate services?
How should we commission?

15. Question 5
How can offenders be more effectively involved in the planning and delivery of services?