Offender Health

Thursday 27th May 2010, One Great George Street - London, 09:00 - 16:00

Offender Health: Enhancing Health, Strengthening Justice

Overview

On 17th of November 2009, the former government launched a cross-government action plan to improve the health of offenders in prison and in the community. The action plan drew together recommendations by Lord Bradley’s review of people with mental health and learning disabilities in the criminal justice system and the views of stakeholders, with the aim to protect the public, reduce offender health inequalities and cut levels of reoffending.

The action plan was not only aimed at improving offender health care, but also at improving community health services for those at risk of offending and diverting low-level offenders with health problems from the criminal justice system.

The plan will ensure that there are liaison and diversion services which assess an individuals health needs in all courts over the next five years; train staff across the criminal justice system to identify where health issues may need to be addressed and share information across the different elements of the system that come into contact with that individual; ensure that offenders have access to the same levels of healthcare as everyone else; and improve continuity of care by developing care pathways that enhance health and social care provision and contribute to the delivery of justice.

A central focus of the action plan was mental health. Published earlier last year, the Bradley Report redefined the issue of mental ill-health among offenders and potential offenders. The main rationale for the report is to examine the extent to which offenders with mental health problems or learning disabilities could, in appropriate cases, be diverted from prison to other services and the barriers to such diversion. A Ministry of Justice spokesman recently said: "The government is committed to ensuring mentally disordered offenders receive the treatment they need, at the same time protecting the public from any threat they may pose.’

The implications of offender health and wellbeing are clear. The cost of incarcerating low-level offenders with mental health problems is unsustainable and misguided. The criminal justice system is in place to protect society from offenders, and rehabilitate those who have offended.

Agenda

This forum will explore how to best protect society from offenders, while ensuring that those who have offended receive the care and support that they need to live meaningful and healthy lives in prison, and then in the community.

09:00	Coffee and Registration
09:50	Chair’s Welcome Address Sean Duggan, Joint Chief Executive, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (CONFIRMED)
10:00	Special Keynote: Improving Mental Health Services in the Criminal Justice System Multi-agency approach: Breaking down barriers and sharing information The role of community mental health services in helping potential offenders avoid the criminal justice system Ensuring that the right staff with the right skills are in place at a local, regional and national level to ensure services are available Investing in diversion: The value-for-money case Lord Bradley, Author of the Independent Review of Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System (CONFIRMED)
10:20	Meeting Needs of Vulnerable Defendants Identification and assessment of health and social care needs Delivering better outcomes in prosecution procedures Effective liaison and diversion services Increasing capacity and availability of mental health approved premises Raising awareness and improved training amongst probation staff and judiciary John Thornhill, Chairman, Magistrates' Association (CONFIRMED)
10:40	No One Knows: Offenders with learning difficulties and learning disabilities Experiences of the criminal justice system by offenders with learning disabilities Delivering better care pathways Improving capacity and capability Supporting vulnerable defendants at the police station and in the criminal courts Providing appropriate support for prisoners with particular needs Jenny Talbot, Programme Manager, Prison Reform Trust (CONFIRMED)
11:00	Questions and Answers Session
11:20	Coffee and Networking
11:40	Effective Practice in Mental Health Diversion and Liaison Challenges and opportunities for the development of multi-agency, proactive, overarching CJMHTs Building on current liaison and diversion teams Funding and resources Developing and Strengthening Criminal Justice Mental Health Teams Dave Spurgeon, Policy Development Manager, Nacro Mental Health Unit (CONFIRMED)
12:00	Ensuring Continuity of Care in the Community Improving access to primary care and treatment for offenders leaving custody: the COCOA study Outreach: a primary care clinic in probation Ensuring better information sharing and collaborative working A primary care model for improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities Dr Richard Byng, Senior Clinical Academic, University of Plymouth (CONFIRMED)
12:20	Case Study: Walking the Way to Prison Health Improving the health and wellbeing of prisoners Increasing the physical activity of offenders Supporting prisoners to make lifestyle changes in terms of physical activity and diet Margaret Westwood, Head of Reducing Re-offending, HMP Everthorpe (CONFIRMED)
12:40	Inspiring Choices, Creating Positive Futures Providing offenders with positive choices to make positive changes Improving employability outcomes for offenders Breaking the cycle of offending Supporting people from social exclusion towards positive and sustainable futures Effective peer led services which support people from social exclusion towards positive futures Case studies Rob Owen, Chief Executive, St Giles Trust (CONFIRMED)
13:00	Questions and Answers Session
13:15	Lunch and Networking
14:15	The Role of the Third Sector: Personalisation of Health and Social Care and Services to Reduce Re-offending How can the third sector: Offer real choice to citizens? Deliver personalised early interventions? Overcome organisational barriers to personalisation? Improve outcomes through service user participation? Rt. Hon. Anne McGuire MP, Cabinet Office Advisor on Third Sector Innovation (CONFIRMED)
14:35	The Police’s Role in Addressing the Health Needs of Offenders and Those Accused of Offending How should police ensure that they understand the mental health and learning disability characteristics of individuals before making arrests and preferring charges? Addressing the needs of offenders and those accused of offending on the ground How well are police custody suites able to deal with health needs of those accused of offences? How should we best tackle the challenges? How we can effectively divert individuals with a mental health illness from the criminal justice system? Developing a joint commission framework Tim Godwin, Deputy Commissioner, Metropolitan Police – ACPO Criminal Justice Lead (CONFIRMED)
14:55	Assessing Offender Needs and Employability Engaging employers and partnership working Supporting resettlement Best and innovative practice Addressing the challenges of sentencing and resettlement for vulnerable offenders Hilary Harwood, Director London South, London Probation (CONFIRMED)
15:15	Coffee and Networking
15:35	Questions and Answers Session
16:00	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitors

Partnerships in Care

Sova

Audience

Delegates will include Criminal Justice Managers, Chief Probation Officers, Chief Crown Prosecutors, Regional Offender Managers, Commissioning and Partnerships Managers, Probation Commissioning Managers, Youth Offending Team Managers, Prison Governors, Youth Offending Institution Governors, Heads of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, Heads of Community Safety, Heads of Policy, Heads of Offender Learning, Heads of Learning and Skills, Prison Education Managers, Learning and Skills Managers, Directors of Patient Care, Prison Psychiatrists, Heads of Mental Health in Prisons, Heads of Anti-Social Behaviour Teams, and Heads of Mental Health Improvement.