Attribution theory provides a pathway by which stigma may develop, following a process involving causal attribution, responsibility inference, and emotional response. While this pathway has been used to explain the development of mental health stigma, little research exists on the intersecting stigmas of criminal justice-involvement and mental health problems. The current study uses a representative UK sample (n = 532) and a cross-sectional design to examine beliefs about mental health locus of origin, locus of control of behaviour, and attitudes towards criminal justice-involved persons with mental health problems. Using path analysis, an interactionist view of mental health origins, consistent with psychosocial explanations, was found to predict less stigma towards this group. Stigmatic domains linked with fear and compassion were found to mediate the relationships between mental health locus of origin and social distance, with compassion indicating a reduced desire for social distance. These results support previous work on the attribution–stigma pathway and offer insights into potential stigma-reducing factors towards this group.

The EU and UK are calling for child-friendly justice. Yet existing adult-oriented practices disrupt justice and increase children’s trauma. We developed a psychoeducational template of a child-friendly gaming system designed for children’s court preparation. We reviewed: (a) guidelines for psychometrics tests, (b) international, Cypriot, English and Scottish law, (c) psychoeducational programmes in the US, and, (d) the Gestalt Play Therapy, Child Centred Play Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and incorporated them into practical legal approaches. Then, we conducted in-depth interviews with multinational experts discussing professionals’ and children’s needs. Building on the Polyvagal Theory and past issues, our data also support reforming children’s court preparation. Effective common cross-national practices were applied. But inconsistent support led to children’s problematic unequal court preparation. Experts’ feedback contributed to having a user-centred gaming context. We summarise our review and experts’ input into an Open-Adapt Pre-trial Gaming Template for pre-trial gaming systems, adaptable to various legal contexts.

This systematic review aimed to identify the prevalence of justice-involved adults requiring mental health care in Australia. Sources providing estimates of diagnosed mental illness and psychological distress within prisons and courts/watch-houses, and service referral and/or utilisation data from bed-based and community forensic mental health services were sought. Within prisons, the prevalence of mental illness was high, ranging from 38–58.4% (n = 7 estimates). Estimates of very high psychological distress (n = 5) were variable by gender and highest for First Nations females (39%). One prevalence estimate of mental illness in watch-houses was located (51.3%). Bed-based service demand rates varied from 0.58 to 12.36 admissions per 100,000 adult population (n = 13). Community-based service demand rates ranged from 2.99 to 99.51 people per 100,000 adult population (n = 4). Estimates had substantial heterogeneity. Issues with data availability were identified and recommendations for improvement made. This information contributes to the development of a needs-based model for planning forensic mental health services in Australia.

This article describes a 25-year continuous involvement through litigation and investigation of Oregon State Hospital by the U.S. Department of Justice and its designated Oregon civil rights organisation, Disability Rights Oregon (DRO). The main catalyst for these activities was the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision which led to dramatic changes in the composition of the three involuntary patient groups in the hospital. The article focuses on a discussion of the conflicts between suggested hospital improvement dominated by legal rights-oriented organisations versus the requirement of the laws governing the hospitalisation of involuntary patients. This approach failed to analyse the very nature of this forensic hospital at the interface between legal and medical views of what can be accomplished given these complexities. In the end the scope of the programme was sidetracked by the COVID epidemic and the return of Mink litigation to the Ninth Circuit courts, which by choice of the dominant rights groups greatly favoured one group of patients over another equally desiring group, to the detriment of all.

Despite a current focus on prosecuting domestic abuse (DA) cases in Scotland, there remains a disparity between newly implemented legislation and the engagement of domestic abuse victims (DAV). There are numerous barriers that DAV face when engaging with the criminal justice system (CJS). Additionally, there are currently no studies utilising Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Staff (COPFS) to assess DAV engagement with the criminal justice system. The current study aims to address this gap through utilising the observations of Glasgow COPFS staff on the engagement of DAV and their perceptions of the barriers DAV face. A qualitative research design was employed, conducting semi-structured interviews with six COPFS staff in Glasgow.Thematic analysis identified four potential themes: psychological barriers, access to support, perceptions of the CJS, and overcoming barriers. The study findings suggest more protections and resources may be required to increase DAV engagement in the CJS. Organisationally, staff burnout could be addressed, and greater training could be considered. Furthermore, positive staff interactions and raising awareness to increase understanding were identified as means of overcoming the barriers to engagement. Although it should be noted this paper has a limited sample and thus recommendations are tentative.

This study describes the first 352 cases accepted by the Victorian Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (VFTAC), a specialist multi-agency policing and forensic mental health unit established in 2018. VFTAC responds to both fixated individuals whose contact with public figures causes concern and individuals referred from other sources due to concern about their potential for lone actor grievance-fuelled violence (LAGFV). The aim of the study was to examine differences between these groups and whether expanding the remit of VFTAC to other LAGFV is warranted. Public figure and other LAGFV cases differed as hypothesised, with the latter being younger, having more significant histories of violence, more often presenting with extremist ideologies, and causing greater concern about future violence. These factors in turn were associated with more protracted episodes of care. VFTAC involvement reduced concern about LAGFV in almost all cases, indicating a positive effect of this multiagency response to grievance-fuelled violence.

Little is known about how alcohol and drug use feature and are considered in lawyers’ disciplinary decisions. This article explores the features of lawyers’ disciplinary cases where alcohol and drugs were present and the application of rehabilitative principles in penalty decisions using a five-year cohort from the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal (2017–2021). Case features, penalties ordered, and details of application of rehabilitative principles were extracted. The data were analysed thematically. Eight of 94 decisions referenced lawyers’ use of alcohol and/or drugs. Rehabilitative themes were: (1) rehabilitation as an important principle; (2) insight and rehabilitative steps prior to hearing relevant to penalty; (3) reliance on voluntary undertakings; and (4) time away from practice used as a rehabilitative tool. We argue for a consistent rehabilitative approach that promotes the wellbeing and fitness to practice of disciplined lawyers, enhancing profession sustainability and public safety.

In New Zealand, there was a significant increase in applications from defence counsel over the last two decades to admit expert evidence about memory in child sexual abuse criminal trials. At issue is whether jurors subscribe to misconceptions about memory and, therefore, whether they require such educative expert evidence. This study explored jury eligible participants’ (N = 292) beliefs and knowledge about memory, drawing on their own personal experiences about how memory works. Participants took part in an online survey programmed on Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, UT). The survey used 5-point Likert scales requiring agreement/disagreement with 10 relevant statements about human memory that have been commonly used in prior surveys. Findings indicated that the sample held views generally aligned with the scientific consensus on how human memory operates and were also more closely aligned with scientific literature than indicated by previous surveys.

This study qualitatively examines factors which exacerbate and alleviate experiences of vicarious trauma (VT) in New Zealand Crown prosecutors. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 New Zealand Crown prosecutors. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants perceived personal and work-based protective factors (e.g. safe and supportive work environment, the rewarding nature of the role, engaging in self-care) alleviated experiences of VT, while occupational stressors (e.g. pressures of the role, workplace culture, perception of injustice) and a lack of education, training, and support exacerbated VT. Findings suggest a lack of acceptance or acknowledgment of the emotional and occupational demands of engaging with potentially traumatic material (PTM) in the legal profession creates a barrier to effective management of VT symptoms and individual wellbeing. The need for improved education surrounding the practical realities of working as a criminal lawyer and greater availability of formalised support from peers and professionals is discussed.

Recognising children as developing individuals, legal systems generally protect children from full criminal liability. Further to the minimum age of criminal responsibility, several jurisdictions include additional legal safeguards under the doctrine of doli incapax. This doctrine presumes that children within conditional age ranges (e.g. 10–13 years) are incapable of criminal intent, unless proven otherwise. Courts may seek expert assessment of a child to help determine the applicability of doli incapax, yet no research examines how clinicians undertake these assessments. Drawing on 80 doli incapax assessment reports in Australia, this study sought to identify children’s characteristics, their alleged offending, domains assessed, and other factors considered by clinicians in forming opinions of children’s criminal capacity. Across the reports, 70.0% of children were boys, 32.5% were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and 75.7% had Child Protection involvement. Furthermore, 60.0% of children had a psychiatric disorder and 11.3% had an intellectual disability or acquired brain injury. Tests of sociomoral reasoning and cognitive development typically informed assessments, and in 48.8% of cases clinicians gave evidence to support doli incapax being upheld. Areas for strengthening consistency included how clinicians should consider the impact of developmental trauma and previous justice system contact on children’s criminal culpability.