Young offenders with mental health problems in transition
| Pages | 232-243 |
| Published date | 02 December 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-02-2014-0004 |
| Date | 02 December 2014 |
| Author | Sarah Campbell,Stephen Abbott,Alan Simpson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Mental health education |
Young offenders with mental health
problems in transition
Sarah Campbell, Stephen Abbott and Alan Simpson
Sarah Campbell
is a Senior Lecturer, Stephen
Abbott is a Research Fellow
and Alan Simpson is a
Professor, all are based at
School of Health Sciences,
City University London,
London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose – Disproportionately high numbers of young people in the British criminal justice system also have
mental health problems. Relevant services often struggle to meet such complex needs, particularly as
children become adults. The purpose of this paper is to discover the qualities of services valued by
such young offenders.
Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews with 15 young offenders with mental
health problems.
Findings – The young people valued continuity and sufficient time to develop trust in staff. From staff who
showed concern and respect, and whose approach was informal, young people could accept help, advice
and, when necessary,confrontation. They gained insight into themselves and how to modify their behaviour;
knowledge about opportunities for work and education; and help with life skills.
Research limitations/implications – The sample was small and likely to have been skewed towards
those who are readiest to engage with services. Young people’s views were not compared with their
histories or actual service use.
Practical implications – Other research indicates that helping relationships that demonstrate the qualities
that client’s value have more successful outcomes than those primarily reflecting professionals’ values.
In a time of resource constraints, it seems unlikely that staff will be able to provide more contact and
continuity than at present. This would be a precondition of working in accordance with the values
of the young people reported here, especially when bridging the discontinuities between children’s and
adult services.
Originality/value – Young offenders with mental health problems are rarely given a voice, particularly their
views of what helps them.
Keywords Adolescence, Helping relationships, Transition to adulthood, Youngoffenders
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Disproportionately more young people in the English criminal justice system than outside it have
mental health problems (DH and DfES, 2006). For example, 90 per cent of young offenders in
prison have a mental health problem (DH and DfES, 2006), including substance misuse and
trauma related to sexual abuse (Nicol et al., 2000; Chitsabesan et al., 2006). Such morbidities
may themselves cause criminal behaviour. Many young people with such needs have not been
diagnosed, or have not accessed child and adolescent mental health services, particularly in the
light of service reductions (Nicol et al., 2000; YoungMinds, 2011). Transition to adulthood (T2A)
presents particular difficulties (Brodie et al., 2011); though some young people are referred to
adult mental health services at an appropriate age, many are not accepted, including young
people diagnosed with disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mild learning
difficulties, autism spectrum disorders and personality disorder (Reder et al., 2000; Bradley
et al., 2003; Singh et al., 2005). This is particularly important as Chitsabesan et al. (2006) found
that half of young offenders had a learning disability or a borderline learning disability. Similar
trends are evident in the USA (Abram et al., 2003; Davis, 2003).
The authors are very grateful to the
young people who agreed to be
interviewed, and to the Transition to
Adulthood Alliance project staff
who encouraged and enabled
them to do so. The study was
funded by The Barrow Cadbury
Trust and commissioned by
YoungMinds.
PAGE 232
j
THE JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 9 NO. 4 2014, pp. 232-243, CEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1755-6228 DOI 10.1108/JMHTEP-02-2014-0004
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