Probation orders with conditions of psychiatric treatment: a descriptive study

Although probation orders with conditions for psychiatric treatment (POPTs) have been in existence for many years there is very little literature relating to their use and almost none from a psychiatric perspective. All patients who were subject to, or had recently completed, a POPT in Leicestershire were identified and information on them collected from psychiatric and probation records. Of 33 POPTs identified, psychiatric information was found for 31 and probation for 23. The most striking feature of the sample was its great heterogeneity in terms of psychiatric diagnoses and index offences. Worryingly, a number of serious offences did not lead to charges or convictions and there was evidence of poor communication between and within agencies, particularly psychiatric services. Our recommendations for improvement mirror those of other studies in the area, namely, better training of the staff from the multiple agencies involved, improved communication, better documentation and ongoing audit to prevent the situation continuing.