Mentally disordered homeless offenders--diversion from custody

The homeless mentally ill petty offender is a familiar sight in the Inner London Magistrates' courts and presents a considerable problem regarding appropriate placement. This paper describes a new psychiatric service which transfers the focus of assessment of such offenders from the prison to the magistrates' courts. The service commenced in February 1989 and centres on two Inner London magistrates' courts, Bow Street and Marlborough Street. It provides a psychiatric assessment of the homeless mentally ill petty offender at the earliest possible opportunity following arrest, with the intention of diverting them from custody. This paper discusses the advantages of this scheme compared with prison-based assessments, and describes its success in diverting defendants from custody without necessarily resorting to hospital admission.