DIVERTED TO WHERE - WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DIVERTED MENTALLY DISORDERED OFFENDER

This study describes a court diversion scheme in a provincial city. It s focus is a forensic community psychiatric nurse specialist. Data are presented on the scheme's first year of operation from May 1993 with follow-up at mean of 12 months. Substance misuse problems were common and most of these patients lost contact with the psychiatric services. None of those with identified psychotic illnesses was in prison at fo llow-up and the majority with these diagnoses remained contact with se rvices. Those with psychotic illnesses showed the greater symptomatic benefit whereas more than two-thirds of those with other diagnoses app eared to show little benefit from the psychiatric intervention arising out of the court diversion. At follow-up, most patients were living i n the community. The reoffending rate was 17 per cent over the study p eriod. The study demonstrates that diversion schemes can run successfu lly with the nurse as the main focus but that there is a high default rate among mentally disordered offenders who receive outpatient manage ment. There is a need for greater availability of secure beds for the minority of mentally disordered offenders who present as severely diso rdered. Further research is required in this area.