If one were to stay up late one night, perhaps with your favourite whisky, some Eric Clapton records and a flip chart, with the intention of designing some legislation calculated to cause the maximum amount of ambiguity, frustration and difficulty, you would do well to come up with anything better than s136 Mental Health Act […]

Read More Whose Responsibility Is That?

The issue of how to manage offenders with mental disorders is an international issue – this blog is prompted by an article from NPR News in Washington DC, “How do you hold mentally ill offenders accountable?“, but I’m mindful of cases such as that of Garry David in Australia as well as an debates in […]

Read More How Do You Hold Mentally Ill Offenders Accountable?

When ‘diversion’ is being debated, why is it that the examples used tend to be on the extremes?  Murder and low value shoplifting; or rape and minor public order offences? I think we’re probably all agreed: if you are alleged to have murdered or raped someone then you should be prosecuted so that the courts can assess all […]

Read More Fiddling at the Edges