Healthcare issues of detainees in police custody in London, UK

Payne-James, Jason; Green, P.G.; Green, N.; McLachlan, Greta; Munro, Mary; Moore, Tara

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2007.10.011

Cited by 85 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A similarly high prevalence has also been found in police custody and probation [12,13], although the evidence is less well developed. High smoking prevalence is reflected in high levels of exposure to second-hand smoke, with associated risks for prisoners and prison staff who are typically confined to, or working within, enclosed spaces [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Stays typically last 6-8 hours and the setting is covered by smoke-free legislation. This has significant implications for managing the effects of nicotine withdrawal, especially given that smoking prevalence is similar to other criminal justice settings [12]. Custody suites are well positioned to support enforced abstinence and to act as a gateway to stop smoking and other health-care services [19].…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Barriers and facilitators to a criminal justice tobacco control coordinator: an innovative approach to supporting smoking cessation among offenders

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims To examine the barriers and facilitators to effective operation of a regional tobacco control coordinator working within and across criminal justice and public health, whose goal was to raise tobacco control awareness and support the development of smoking cessation treatment for offenders. Design A reflexive, mixed-methods case study approach using in-depth interviews, project reports and observation of advisory board meetings. Setting The coordinator worked with prisons, probation and police custody, where there are high levels of social disadvantage and smoking. Participants Interviews (n = 34) at different stages of project with the coordinator, project advisers and local stakeholders from criminal justice and public health. Measurements Analysis of facilitators and barriers and the coordinator role from different perspectives. Findings Readiness to develop cessation services was a critical predictor of different criminal justice settings' engagement with the coordinator role. The coordinator enhanced cessation service delivery in individual prisons where there was a requirement and infrastructure in place to provide such services. In police custody, where there was no central guidance or pre-existing requirements, efforts to establish smoking cessation on the local agenda proved ineffective. In probation settings, the coordinator documented examples of good practice and supported brief intervention training. Variability in willingness to engage limited the project's ability to create joined-up working across criminal justice settings. Conclusions In the English criminal justice system, the prison service appears to provide a favourable context for development of smoking cessation support and a means of accessing hard-to-reach groups. Other criminal justice settings, most specifically police custody, appear less responsive to such activity. A coordinator role can improve smoking cessation support in the prison setting, and develop local improvements in tobacco control interventions in other settings such as probation, but as configured here, does not have the capacity to effect change across the criminal justice system.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and facilitators to a criminal justice tobacco control coordinator: an innovative approach to supporting smoking cessation among offenders

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous studies carried out among police custody detainees have relied on observational data 10 or pre-selected subgroups. 11,22,23 This paper considers the ability of standard police screening procedures to identify detainees with mental disorders. Although a mental disturbance was detected in 79% of cases of detainees with serious mental illness, an appropriate adult was called in only 42% of these cases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening for psychiatric morbidity in police custody: results from the HELP-PC project

McKinnon

Srivastava²,

Kaler

et al. 2013

Psychiatrist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims and methodTo ascertain the efficacy of custody health screening for mental disorders. We assessed a sample of detainees for the presence of mental disorders and the need for an appropriate adult. The assessments were carried out using pragmatic interviews and examinations supported by structured tools. Where possible, we attributed a probable clinical diagnosis based on the information available to us. The need for an appropriate adult was judged based on this information and capacity assessments.ResultsExisting screening procedures missed a quarter of cases of severe mental illness and moderate depression; they also failed to detect about a half of those at risk of alcohol withdrawal and 70% of those at risk of withdrawal from crack cocaine. The need for an appropriate adult was not recognised in more than half of cases.Clinical implicationsConsideration should be given to modifying police screening procedures for mental and associated disorders so that detainees receive the appropriate attention.

show abstract

“…Up to now, the number of studies from various countries, including Germany, is quite small and comprises only some few hundred cases [3,12,[15][16][17][18].…”

Section: Background and Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical examination of fitness for police custody in two large German towns

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Worldwide, there is a high risk of medical complications or death in police custody. This risk is often increased by unclear legislation, a lack of clearly defined responsibility and medical examination standards. Any solution to these problems requires as a very basis the systematic analysis of the medical examinations that determine whether a person is fit to be detained in custody. We analysed a total of 3,674 medical records on fitness for custody, taken from two large German towns (Halle/S and Bremen). The examined individuals were predominantly males or of a younger age. The indication in the majority of cases was acute alcoholic intoxication or drug withdrawal syndromes. Traumata and internal or mental diseases were also quite frequent. For approximately 50% of all cases, fitness for custody was declared on certain conditions. Only 39.8% were found to be unconditionally fit for detention in custody. In just under 10% of the cases, the person was found unfit for custody. These cases concerned mainly persons with psychological symptoms and advanced alcohol or drug withdrawal syndromes. We were able to show that the recent introduction of new police custody regulations in Halle/S had a significant influence on the medical decision on fitness for custody. Our detailed assessment has provided us with the basis to develop solutions for the improvement of medical care in police custody. The focus lies here on the organisation and legal regulation of the medical aspects of custody but also on policing and medical work.

show abstract

Healthcare issues of detainees in police custody in London, UK

Cited by 85 publications

References 13 publications

Barriers and facilitators to a criminal justice tobacco control coordinator: an innovative approach to supporting smoking cessation among offenders

Barriers and facilitators to a criminal justice tobacco control coordinator: an innovative approach to supporting smoking cessation among offenders

Screening for psychiatric morbidity in police custody: results from the HELP-PC project

Medical examination of fitness for police custody in two large German towns

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About