Identification of Mental Disorders in the Criminal Justice System

• NCJ Number: 218921
• Author(s): James R.P. Ogloff; Michael R. Davis; George Rivers; Stuart Ross
• Date Published: March 2007
• Length: 6 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Criminology Research Council
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: From Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No.334, March 2007

Annotation

Based on relevant research, this paper presents data and information on the prevalence of mental disorders in Australian offender populations, the assessment and screening for mental disorders by Australian criminal justice agencies, and recommendations for improving the coverage and quality of such screening.

Abstract

Research conducted in 2003 found that 13.5 percent of Australia's male prisoners and 20 percent of female prisoners reported having prior psychiatric admissions. The same study found that up to 8 percent of male offenders and 14 percent of female offenders in Australian prisons had a major mental disorder with psychotic features (Mullen, Holmquist, and Ogloff, 2003). The Australian Criminology Research Council commissioned a study that assessed the level of screening for mental illness used by criminal justice agencies (police, courts, and corrections agencies) and the instruments used for such screening. Although the literature shows that mental health professionals believe that appropriate formal screening tools provide the most effective means of identifying mental disorders, the use of such tools is the exception rather than the rule in the Australian criminal justice system. Consequently, this paper recommends the establishment of a nationwide system for screening all accused persons taken into police custody, so as to identify those who require a comprehensive mental health assessment. Such assessments should be repeated as an individual is processed through the various stages of the criminal justice system. The authors not only recommend that mental-health assessment results be shared across criminal justice agencies, but that there also be an ongoing dialog between mental health and justice agencies. The achievement of these recommendations depends on the provision of training and resources for police, courts, and corrections personnel, in order that they can better meet the needs of mentally ill individuals involved in Australia's criminal justice system. 18 references