The Essex Health & Justice Service provide a service for people aged 10 years and over who are in the criminal justice system and have been identified as having mental health problems, learning disabilities or difficulties, cognitive disorder, substance misuse and other vulnerabilities. This extends to police stations, the courts, prisons and the probation service.
The teams provide a comprehensive service including:
• screening people within the criminal justice system at the earliest opportunity and ensuring that their needs are met in the best setting, be it hospital, community or custody;
• providing one point of access for criminal justice agencies to request information and advice, or assessment of people who appear to present symptoms of mental health or have a history of mental health problems;
• act as a conduit for individuals who are due for release from prison to ensure appropriate referral on to mental health services;
• attending multi-agency public protection meetings to assist in the management of complex cases;
• providing training on mental health to criminal justice agencies;
• providing information to offender managers to inform pre- sentence reports and enable appropriate disposals from court.
