‘A frightening experience’: detainees’ and carers’ experiences of being detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act

Riley, G; Freeman, Elaine; Laidlaw, Jim; Pugh, David

doi:10.1258/msl.2011.010074

Cited by 33 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Further, the current work highlighted service users' experiences of criminalization by police-only teams and responding officers' at times overpowering approach and usage of handcuffs. While earlier research concluded that service users detained in police station cells felt they were being treated as criminals (Jones & Mason 2002;Riley et al 2011), it appears that a broader range of officers' actions can construct a similar experience of criminalization. While positive experiences were described in both co-responding and police-only team interactions, the more variable quality of police-only interactions described might be attributed to differences in responders' training, culture, and skills.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Co‐responding police–mental health programmes: Service user experiences and outcomes in a large urban centre

Lamanna

Shapiro

Kirst

et al. 2017

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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As police officers are often the first responders to mental health crises, a number of approaches have emerged to support skilled police crisis responses. One such approach is the police-mental health co-responding team model, whereby mental health nurses and police officers jointly respond to mental health crises in the community. In the present mixed-method study, we evaluated outcomes of co-responding team interactions at a large Canadian urban centre by analysing administrative data for 2743 such interactions, and where comparison data were available, compared them to 16 226 police-only team responses. To understand service user experiences, we recruited 15 service users for in-depth qualitative interviews, and completed inductive thematic analysis. Co-responding team interactions had low rates of injury and arrest, and compared to police-only teams, co-responding teams had higher overall rates of escorts to hospital, but lower rates of involuntary escorts. Co-responding teams also spent less time on hospital handovers than police-only teams. Service users valued responders with mental health knowledge and verbal de-escalation skills, as well as a compassionate, empowering, and non-criminalizing approach. Current findings suggest that co-responding teams could be a useful component of existing crisis-response systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…While earlier research concluded that service users detained in police station cells felt they were being treated as criminals (Jones & Mason ; Riley et al . ), it appears that a broader range of officers’ actions can construct a similar experience of criminalization.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co‐responding police–mental health programmes: Service user experiences and outcomes in a large urban centre

Lamanna

Shapiro

Kirst

et al. 2017

Int J Mental Health Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This study has taken a multifactorial approach to Many of those detained more than once were males who were subject to two detentions, suggesting this group may be representative of the wider cohort of people detained under S136, for whom a period of crisis culminates in police intervention that can then prompt appropriate help-seeking and access to support services, albeit through a harrowing experience of being detained [13,46]. However, this research has confirmed that those subject to the highest numbers of police Mental Health Act detentions are almost exclusively female.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

Warrington

2019

Preprint

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Most police Mental Health Act (Section 136) detentions in England and Wales relate to suicide prevention. Despite attempts to reduce detention rates, numbers have risen almost continually. Although Section 136 has been subject to much academic and public policy scrutiny, the topic of individuals being detained on multiple occasions remains under-researched and thus poorly understood. A mixed methods study combined six in-depth interviews with people who had experienced numerous suicidal crises and police intervention, with detailed police and mental health records. A national police survey provided wider context. Consultants with lived experience of complex mental health problems jointly analysed interviews. Repeated detention is a nationally recognised issue. In South East England it almost exclusively relates to suicide or self-harm and accounts for a third of all detentions. Females are detained with the highest frequencies. The qualitative accounts revealed complex histories of unresolved trauma that had catastrophically damaged interviewee’s relational foundations, rendering them disenfranchised from services and consigned to relying on police intervention in repeated suicidal crises. A model is proposed that offers a way to conceptualise the phenomenon of repeated detention, highlighting that long-term solutions to sustain change are imperative, as reactive-only responses can perpetuate crisis cycles.

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“…The levels of cost involved in the use of s.136 in both negative personal experiences (Gregory and Thompson, 2013;Riley et al, 2011b) and resource terms are high. North Yorkshire Police estimate the average length of time in custody for a person detained under S.136 is 10 hours.…”

Section: The Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Street Triage

2015

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Abstract:This paper explores the implementation of Cleveland Police's pilot Street Triage service. The service aimed to reduce the number of section 136 detentions under the Mental Health Act and improve referral pathways for those presenting with mental health issues. The initiative was funded by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. Dedicated Street Triage mental health nurses accompanied police officers to incidents where it was suspected that mental health issues were a presenting concern. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with sixteen strategic and operational stakeholders to review whether the project was successful. Analysis was supplemented with secondary data from the Street Triage Team. We conclude that there were significantly fewer section 136 detentions, and identify continuing challenges.

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‘A frightening experience’: detainees’ and carers’ experiences of being detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act

Abstract: Detainees and carers would like to see the provision of a place of safety other than emergency departments or police stations, and this study reinforces the Mental Health Code of Practice 2008 which states that police stations should only be used on an exceptional basis.

Cited by 33 publications

References 9 publications

Co‐responding police–mental health programmes: Service user experiences and outcomes in a large urban centre

Co‐responding police–mental health programmes: Service user experiences and outcomes in a large urban centre

Repeated Police Mental Health Act Detentions in England and Wales: Trauma and Recurrent Suicidality

Mental Health Street Triage

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