Working alongside Revolving Doors, In ten years’ time marks ten years since the launch of the Bradley Report on improving outcomes for people with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in the criminal justice system.
We’re calling on the government to strengthen the law so that anyone being considered for a prison sentence must have a relevant up to date pre-sentence report before a court can imprison them.
A recent independent poll commissioned by Revolving Doors Agency shows that public expect much better from our criminal justice system:
- 76% of people think that magistrates should know whether someone has a mental health condition before sentencing them
- 68% of people think that magistrates should know whether someone has a learning disability before sentencing them.
Centre for Mental Health Chief Executive Sarah Hughes said:
“Ten years on from Lord Bradley’s landmark report, liaison and diversion teams are now there to help people in most police stations and courts in England. This is an enormous achievement on the part of the NHS. This must now be matched by wider reform to the criminal justice system to prioritise wellbeing and effective rehabilitation for people with mental health difficulties and other vulnerabilities.”