Management of conditionally discharged patients and others who present similar risks in the community: Integrated or parallel?

Abstract

Abstract There is no literature available on the styles of service provision for the supervision of high-risk mentally disordered offenders, in particular those subject to the provisions of s.41 of the Mental Health Act 1983. This article describes the historical background to the terms ‘integrated’ and ‘parallel’ care for mentally disordered offenders. It is argued that these terms no longer have any value. A four-level model of managing high-risk patients in the community is proposed, which relates to the assessment of clinical risks. Research into models of service provision is urgently required so that these patients can receive the best care possible, in the least restrictive manner, whilst the safety of the community is not compromised.