Police Officers’ Perceptions of Their Role in a Mental Health Magistrates’ Court Pathway

Abstract

Although common in the USA, mental health courts are relatively new to the UK and their effectiveness here is not yet fully understood. Referral to these courts is largely reliant upon early identification of mental health problems, a task commonly undertaken by police in the custody suite. Little is known about police perceptions of their role in working with offenders with mental health system in the UK. This exploratory study therefore investigates police views of a pilot mental health courts and their role within the pathway to these. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six members of a large police force involved in a pilot mental health court. Data-led thematic analysis was used to identify the recurrent themes emerging. Three main themes were identified: ‘Benefits of a Mental Health Court’, ‘Police as Gatekeepers’ and ‘Barriers to Identification’. The introduction of mental health courts in the UK was viewed as being reflective of changes in approaches to criminal justice. Whilst feeling responsibility for referrals to the mental health court, time, training and multiagency working were seen as hindering this. The findings suggest the success of mental health courts is dependent upon ‘getting it right’ from the start of the pathway; recommendations are provided.