Suicide ideation amongst people referred for mental health assessment in police custody
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-04-2016-0016 |
| Pages | 146-156 |
| Date | 07 November 2016 |
| Published date | 07 November 2016 |
| Author | Andrew Forrester,Chiara Samele,Karen Slade,Tom Craig,Lucia Valmaggia |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
Suicide ideation amongst people
referred for mental health assessment
in police custody
Andrew Forrester, Chiara Samele, Karen Slade, Tom Craig and Lucia Valmaggia
Andrew Forrester is a
Consultant and Honorary
Senior Lecturer in Forensic
Psychiatry at South London
and Maudsley NHS Foundation
Trust, Maudsley Hospital,
London, UK.
Chiara Samele is a Senior
Researcher at the Department
of Psychology and
Neuroscience, Institute of
Psychiatry, Kings College
London, London, UK.
Karen Slade is a Senior
Lecturer at the Department of
Psychology, Nottingham Trent
University, Nottingham, UK.
Tom Craig is based at the
Department of Psychology and
Neuroscience, Institute of
Psychiatry, Kings College
London, London, UK.
Lucia Valmaggia is a Senior
Lecturer at the Department of
Psychology and Neuroscience,
Institute of Psychiatry, Kings
College London, London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of suicide ideation amongst a group of
people who had been arrested and taken into police custody, and were then referred to a mental health
service operating in the police stations.
Design/methodology/approach –A referred sample of 888 cases were collected over an 18-month period
during 2012/2013. Clinical assessments were conducted using a template in which background information
was collected (including information about their previous clinical history, substance misuse, alleged offence,
any pre-identified diagnoses, and the response of the service) as part of the standard operating procedure of
the service. Data were analysed using a statistical software package.
Findings –In total, 16.2 per cent (n ¼144) reported suicide ideation, with women being more likely to report
than men. In total, 82.6 per cent of the suicide ideation sample reported a history of self-harm or a suicide
attempt. Suicide ideation was also associated with certain diagnostic categories (depression, post-traumatic
stress disorder and personality disorder), a history of contact with mental health services, and recent (within
24 hours) consumption of alcohol or drugs.
Originality/value –This evaluation adds to the limited literature in this area by describing a large sample from
a real clinical service. It provides information that can assist with future service designs and it offers
support for calls for a standardised health screening process, better safety arrangements for those who
have recently used alcohol or drugs (within 24 hours) and integrated service delivery across healthcare
domains (i.e. physical healthcare, substance use, and mental health).
Keywords Screening, Evaluation, Mental health, Integration, Police custody, Suicide ideation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody in England and Wales reviewed all deaths
in state custody during the 15-year period 2000-2014 and subsequently published this
information in a national report (Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, 2015).
The 8,129 deaths described took place across a wide range of establishments, including
prisons, police stations, secure training centres, immigration removal centres, approved
premises, and hospitals (the latter referring to the deaths of individuals who had mostly been
detained in a hospital setting under the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983). Of these deaths,
the largest group included people who had been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983
(n¼4,801, 59 per cent), or who were detained in prison custody at the time of their death
(n¼2,727, 34 per cent). Almost a quarter of the total number were self-inflicted (n¼1,921,
24 per cent), and of them the majority (n¼1,572, 82 per cent) were men, while 18 per cent
(n¼349) were women. During this same period, there were 355 deaths in police custody,
Received 13 April 2016
Revised 13 June 2016
Accepted 27 June 2016
PAGE146
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
VOL. 6 NO. 4 2016, pp. 146-156, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 DOI 10.1108/JCP-04-2016-0016
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