The development of an offender personality disorder strategy
| Date | 14 December 2010 |
| Pages | 10-15 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/mhrj.2010.0731 |
| Published date | 14 December 2010 |
| Author | Nick Joseph,Nick Benefield |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Mental Health Review Journal Volume 15 Issue 4 December 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd
10
10.5042/mhrj.2010.0731
Nick Joseph and Nick Benefield
National Personality Disorder Network, Department of Health and the National Offender Management Service, UK
The development of an offender
personality disorder strategy
Abstract
This article explores the development of an offender personality disorder strategy for the Department
of Health (DH) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The strategy has two strands:
offenders who present a high risk of serious harm to others, and workforce development. This article
primarily considers the first of these. The strategy builds upon the learning so far from the Dangerous
and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) programme and democratic therapeutic communities in prisons.
This indicates the need for NOMS and the NHS to take joint responsibility for the assessment, treatment
and management of this population and to deliver services, where appropriate, through joint operations.
A greater focus is required on the early identification of personality disordered offenders who present a
high risk of serious harm to others, leading to an active pathway of intervention predominately based in
the criminal justice system (CJS).
Key words
Personality disorder, offenders, high risk, harm, workforce development.
Background
The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder
(DSPD) programme was implemented following
a Government consultation in 1999. These
proposed changes in legislation and service
organisation were in order to meet ‘the challenge
to public safety presented by the minority of people
with severe personality disorder, who because of
their disorder pose a risk of serious offending’
(Home Office/Department of Health, 1999, p4).
Despite much opposition, especially from mental
health professionals, the Government made a
commitment in its 2001 manifesto to deliver 300
new DSPD places in high secure hospitals and
prisons designed ‘to deal with the most dangerous
offenders of all, those with a severe personality
disorder’ (Labour Party, 2001, p5).
The underpinning philosophy of the DSPD
programme is that public protection is best
served by addressing the psychological aspects
of mental health needs of a previously neglected
group. The target outcomes of the programme
are:
! to improve public protection
! the provision of new treatment services that
improve mental health outcomes and reduce
risk
! to better understand what works in the
treatment and management of those who
meet the DSPD criteria in order to develop the
policy and delivery evidence base to enable
the future shape of such services to be decided.
It is the last of these points that the
strategy delivers. It also responds to the
recommendations in Lord Bradley’s report on
people with mental health problems or learning
disabilities in the criminal justice system
(Bradley, 2009).
The pilot DSPD services
HMP Whitemoor began admitting prisoners
to a converted wing of the prison in 2000.
Purpose-built units for men opened at HMP
Frankland and Rampton hospital in 2004 and at
Broadmoor hospital in 2005. (Broadmoor also
opened an interim unit of 10 beds from 2003.)
A 12-bed unit for women opened in 2007 at
STRATEGY
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