Voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) have a long history of engagement with offenders. Recent policy developments have aimed to increase their participation in the criminal justice system, leading to considerable speculation about the impact on the sector's independence and ethos. This paper draws on qualitative interviews with stakeholders in the voluntary sector and criminal justice fields to explore the effects of such developments on the relationship between the sector and the state, including the implications of opening the criminal justice market to VSOs, gaps between the rhetoric and reality of commissioning, and the potential loss of the sector's distinctiveness and critical voice.

Brooker et al. (2002) conducted a systematic review of research into the mental health of prisoners. Their final report included a review of the epidemiology of the prison population, an overview of the interventions used to treat the major mental health disorders in both the general and prison populations, and a review of service delivery and organisation for prisoners with mental health disorders. The review found a high prevalence of mental health disorders in prison populations, with up to 15 of prisoners having four or five co-existing mental disorders. This review has been updated, using the same methodology, to include literature dated from 2002 to August 2006. This paper presents findings from the epidemiology section of the updated review, which includes 18 new studies. The recent studies largely reflect the findings of earlier research. However, some studies in the updated review focus on countries where little of this type of research has previously been conducted. The prevalence of mental health disorders, suicide, and substance misuse remains high in prison populations around the world - demonstrating the need for suitable evidence-based interventions to address these issues. Future research should concentrate on mapping interventions available to prisoners and evaluating their effectiveness. © 2009 Taylor & Francis

The prevalence of mental disorder among prisoners is considerably higher than that in the general population. Historically, mental healthcare in prisons has been criticised for being under-funded and provided by the Prison Service. The 2001 policy Changing the Outlook envisaged multi-professional prison mental health teams funded by the local primary care trusts. Such teams are now in place, managing offenders with severe mental illness, but they have faced challenges. The second mental health in-reach team survey was conducted in 2007 and aimed to capture a variety of data, including: workforce features; connections with primary care services; the role of in-reach services, their caseload, the interventions provided, and barriers to successful operation; and the relationship with the wider NHS. It was found that the role and activities of in-reach teams had changed considerably since the first in-reach survey was undertaken in 2005. © 2009 Taylor & Francis

This paper reports a structured review of the service development and organisational (SDO) research literature focused on prisoners with mental disorders. A large number of databases were searched, using a combined free-text and thesaurus approach. Papers were included if they had been published since 1983, were written in English, and contained research findings. Commentaries or descriptions of local service innovation were excluded. In all, 103 papers were identified that met all criteria; these were divided into 13 categories (e.g. screening, 18 papers; professional roles, 13 papers). The paper concludes that there is a clear need to consider commissioning SDO research for offenders in England and Wales in a coherent programme. © 2009 Taylor & Francis

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to examine the contribution made by housing‐related third sector organisations (TSOs) in assisting ex‐prisoners to find housing, and the barriers they face in doing so.Design/methodology/approachAn offender survey was used to measure awareness of and engagement with TSOs in eight prisons, alongside qualitative interviews with prisoners, criminal justice staff and TSO representatives.FindingsDespite the involvement of TSOs, securing accommodation for ex‐prisoners remains complex and difficult, largely due to high service demand, housing shortages, budget cuts, and needs assessment and allocations systems which reduce the responsiveness of housing providers to the reducing re‐offending agenda.Research limitations/implicationsThe research benefited from a mixed‐method approach which captured the perceptions of service users and professionals. The response rate for the offender survey was low (12 per cent), and the survey findings should be treated with caution.Practical implicationsLocal authorities and other housing providers need to be more willing to accept ex‐prisoners as potential service users, and better links need to be made between local homelessness strategies, choice based lettings systems and prisoner resettlement programmes. Providing support services to ex‐offenders may encourage such acceptance and help to maintain the motivation to desist from crime.Originality/valuePrevious research has paid little specific attention to the role of TSOs in (ex)offender housing. This paper addresses this omission by drawing on original empirical research to examine the value of their work in securing accommodation for ex‐prisoners and helping to reduce re‐offending.