Mental disorder amongst defendants in Liverpool Magistrates' Court

The Home Office advocates development of court liaison schemes to divert mentally disordered offenders into the care of health and social services. No-one has yet evaluated the amount of mental disorder that existing schemes fail to identify. We interviewed 136 defendants who had been detained by the police prior to their first appearance in Liverpool Magistrates' Court for their current alleged offence. We found very little mental illness but high levels of drug and alcohol misuse. Merseyside police policy advocates diversion at the earliest possible point and local general psychiatry services are willing to assess and treat offenders. The defendants with drug and alcohol problems are, however, neglected by the current initiatives in providing for this group. Addressing this need in a population which might not otherwise come to the attention of services could have an impact on personal and public health as well as on offending behaviour.