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Mind rights guide 2: Mental health and the police
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Introduction
If I commit an offence, will the police arrest me?
Can the police detain me for any other reason?
Are the police involved in mental health issues at any other time?
Who can help me at the police station?
What will the solicitor do?
If I have a mental health problem, should I tell the police?
What must the police do, if they think I have a mental health problem?
What will the doctor do?
Who is the Appropriate Adult and can I choose who they are?
What will the Appropriate Adult do?
What will happen after questioning?
Will I have to stay in the police station?
If I am admitted, will charges be dropped?
What will happen next?
Legal definitions
Further reading
Introduction
This booklet is designed to answer some of the more common questions concerning mental health and the police. It should be helpful to users of mental health services, their relatives and friends, as well as to service-providers working in the statutory and voluntary sectors.
It is government policy that people with mental health problems should receive treatment and care from health and social services. The law allows for this to continue, or begin, if someone becomes involved with the police. (For more information, see Mind rights guide 5: mental health and the courts) This booklet describes the mechanisms that enable this to happen at any stage in the criminal justice system. It is selective, however, in the areas it covers and is therefore not a substitute for a statement of the law or for legal advice.
Public funding (legal aid) is available to pay for professional advice from a solicitor. This is means-tested (it depends on your income and savings) for most purposes, but not for advice in the police station and first appearance at the magistrates’ court. You can instruct a solicitor of your own choosing or there will be a duty solicitor available.
For advice from a solicitor who has knowledge of mental health law and issues, contact Mind, which has a legal network of local solicitors, the Community Legal Service Direct or The Law Society. (See Useful organisations)
Legal terms, as they appear in the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Codes of Practice, are printed in bold when they are used for the first time in this booklet. Some people find these inappropriate, even offensive, but they are used here for the sake of legal accuracy. The definitions are set out at the end of the booklet. To keep this guide as straightforward as possible, we have kept technical terms to a minimum and summarised the effects of the law and good practice, where appropriate. Where we use section numbers, they are from the Mental Health Act 1983.
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If I commit an offence, will the police arrest me?
This very much depends on what the offence is and what they know about you. If the offence is petty, the police may use their discretion and do nothing. They may choose to refer you to health and social services, if they think it more appropriate, and they may ask you if you want assistance in being referred. This may be done quite informally, if you are happy to cooperate. If the offence is more serious, the police may well arrest you and take you to the police station for questioning.
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Can the police detain me for any other reason?
If you are in a public place, the police also have the power to detain you if they think you have a mental disorder (section 136) and that you are in immediate need of care and control. They must take you to a place of safety, preferably a hospital but possibly a police station. You can be held there, until an Approved Social Worker (ASW) and a doctor have assessed you, for up to 72 hours. This power cannot, at present, be used to detain you if you are on private premises.
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Are the police involved in mental health issues at any other time?
The police may also be involved if you are in a private place on your own and not able to care for yourself, or living with someone else, and it is thought you are not being taken care of properly. A social worker can obtain a warrant under section 135 from a justice of the peace, if evidence suggests you are in need of assessment. Police and health workers can remove you to a place of safety for up to 72 hours, for a full assessment.
If an assessment is to be carried out under the civil part of the Mental Health Act 1983 (see Mind rights guide 1: civil admission to hospital), the police may act as an escort for professionals involved.
This should be exceptional, and only if necessary. The ASW organising the assessment should generally direct police in their involvement.
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Who can help me at the police station?
If you are taken to a police station under any of the above powers, you have the same rights as anyone else detained at the station. This includes the right to have a solicitor with you.
You can choose to have your own solicitor there or ask for the duty solicitor. The police must help you get a solicitor. Remember, it does not cost you anything to have a solicitor at the police station, and you are entitled to a solicitor whether or not you have done anything wrong.
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What will the solicitor do?
The solicitor is there to look after your rights while you are detained at the police station. She or he will talk to the police to find out if there is enough evidence to justify detaining you and whether you are likely to be charged with an offence. She or he will advise you about being interviewed and help you to understand what is being said about you.
The solicitor will be present at the interview, if you want them to be, and will speak to the police, during the interview, if they are being too aggressive or if you do not understand what is being said.
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If I have a mental health problem, should I tell the police?
That is up to you. The police have a responsibility to ensure you are safe and well while you are in their custody. If you feel distressed, you can tell the police and they should do what they can to help you. The police should take into account your mental health problem in the way they deal with your case. You can also discuss this with your solicitor, when she or he arrives.
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What must the police do, if they think I have a mental health problem?
There are several things the police must do if they realise, or are told, you have a mental health problem. Firstly, they must contact an Appropriate Adult, and they should not interview you about an alleged offence until he or she can be with you (see further down).
Secondly, the police must contact a doctor. This may be their own doctor, who is called the Forensic Medical Examiner (FME) or police surgeon, and she or he will most likely be a general practitioner. The police have been advised by the Home Office to arrange for a psychiatrist to act as FME when mental health is involved. Therefore if you would rather a psychiatrist examined you, do ask for one.
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What will the doctor do?
The doctor will decide if you have a mental disorder. If you do, the police must not question you without an Appropriate Adult.
The doctor will also advise the police whether you are well enough to be questioned about the offence (even with the Appropriate Adult present) and whether you are well enough to remain in the police station.
What you tell the doctor is up to you. If you feel distressed in the police station and would rather be questioned at some later stage, or if you feel you need to be admitted to hospital, then tell the doctor. She or he will decide whether you are fit to be detained in custody. If you are not, then the police must ensure you are admitted to hospital, or possibly, that you go home.
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Who is the Appropriate Adult and can I choose who they are?
The Appropriate Adult can be a member of your family, a mental health worker or some adult independent of the police. The police may ask you who you would like to attend.
You can tell them who you prefer and feel most comfortable with. The police will decide, in the end, and will probably contact the person who can arrive at the police station the soonest.
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What will the Appropriate Adult do?
The Appropriate Adult has several roles. First of all, she or he should help you get a solicitor, if one has not been made available to you.
The Appropriate Adult will ask you how you are and if there is anything you need to make you comfortable and at ease. If the police have not called a doctor, then the Appropriate Adult will request the police call one.
She or he will help you to communicate with the police. For this reason, you must take advice from your solicitor about what you say to the Appropriate Adult, because they may tell the police something you would rather remained confidential between your solicitor and yourself.
If you are questioned by the police about an alleged offence, this must be done in the presence of the Appropriate Adult, who should advise you and tell the police whether they think the interview is fair or not. They will, for instance, decide whether or not you understand the police questions and the answers you give, and whether you agree with the police because you feel you ought to rather than because it is the truth.
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What will happen after questioning?
Again, this depends on the nature of the offence you are suspected of having committed. The police may deal with very minor offences by giving you a ‘caution’, particularly if they know you have a mental health problem. They can do this if you admit to the offence; you must take a solicitor’s advice before you consider this course of action. However, the police may decide that the offence is serious, or that there is a risk that you will re-offend, and that charges should be brought, therefore.
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Will I have to stay in the police station?
As mentioned before, if you are feeling distressed and particularly if you feel you may harm yourself, you can tell the police, who must ensure that you receive any care you need. This may involve the attendance of a doctor at the station and, possibly, admission to hospital.
When they no longer have authority to detain you, the police must release you. If you are released, you may be required to return to the station at a later date for questioning, or to appear before the magistrates’ court. This is known as bail. The police must consider giving you bail, but may refuse for several reasons. For instance, they may do so if they think you need protection, or they have not obtained your name and address, or they think you will fail to return for questioning or to go to the magistrates’ court. If you are refused bail, the police will keep you in custody and must bring you before the magistrates’ court as soon as possible.
If the police are considering refusing bail for one of the above reasons, they may give it if you are referred to health services and are offered a bed, whether informally or formally, under the Mental Health Act 1983.
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If I am admitted, will charges be dropped?
Not necessarily. If the police do not caution you and instead bring charges, they will pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and tell them that you have a mental disorder.
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What will happen next?
If the police refer your case to the CPS, the prosecution may be ‘discontinued’. (See Mind rights guide 5.) The CPS has the power to halt the prosecution if it is not in the public interest to continue with it. This may happen whether you are admitted to hospital or not. However, if you are alleged to have attacked someone, even if you were a hospital patient at the time, the prosecution is likely to continue.
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Legal definitions
Appropriate Adult – a person who is independent of the police and who is responsible for ensuring a mentally disordered person is treated fairly, if they are in police custody.
Approved Social Worker ( ASW) – a social worker specially trained and qualified under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Bail – release from custody, possibly with certain conditions attached.
Crown Prosecution Service ( CPS) – public office responsible for ensuring a prosecution is brought to court only if there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest.
Forensic Medical Examiner ( FME) – a doctor instructed by the police to cater for the health needs of people detained in the police station. Also known as the police surgeon.
Mental disorder – defined in section 1 of the Mental Health Act as mental illness, arrested or incomplete development of mind, psychopathic disorder or any other disorder or disability of mind. This wide definition includes all forms of mental illness, learning disability, brain injury and personality disorder.
Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 – the main Act of Parliament covering the care and treatment of people with mental health problems.
Place of safety – a locally agreed place to where the police may remove someone, usually a police station or hospital.
Police and Criminal Evidence Act Codes of Practice – four Codes that guide the police in the use of their powers.
Police surgeon – see Forensic Medical Examiner
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Useful organisations
Citizens Advice (formerly NACAB)
tel. 020 7833 2181 (admin only)
web: www.citizensadvice.org.uk or www.adviceguide.org.uk
Local offices listed in local phone books and on their websites
Community Legal Service Direct
web: www.clsdirect.org.uk
Lists the publicly funded lawyers and advice agencies in your area that can advise you on mental health and other specialist areas of law
The Law Society
113 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1PL
tel. 020 7242 1222 (general enquiries)
or 0870 606 6575 (to find a solicitor)
web: www.lawsociety.com
Phone or see website for a list of solicitors who can represent you at a Mental Health Review Tribunal and Managers’ Review
Mental Health Act Commission
56 Hounds Gate, Nottingham NG1 6BG
tel. 0115 943 7100
web: www.mhac.org.uk
A statutory government body that exists to ensure that patients detained under the MHA are properly detained, aware of their rights and are properly cared for by the hospital
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Further reading
Advocacy standards: standards for advocacy in mental health P. Wood (UKAN 2004)
Advocacy today and tomorrow: the UK Advocacy Network training tool P. Wood, G. Mullins (UKAN 2004)
From psychiatric patient to citizen: overcoming discrimination and social exclusion L. Sayce (Macmillan 2000)
Getting the best from your approved social worker (Mind 2004)
How to cope with hospital admission (Mind 2004)
Legal rights and mental health: the Mind manual (Mind 2006)
The Mental Health Act 1983: an outline guide (Mind 2003)
Mental illness: a handbook for carers eds. R. Ramsay, C. Gerada, S. Mars, G. Szmukler (JKP 2001)
The Mind guide to advocacy (Mind 2005)
Mind rights guide 1: civil admission to hospital (Mind 2004)
Mind rights guide 3: consent to medical treatment (Mind 2004)
Mind rights guide 4: discharge from hospital (Mind 2005)
Mind rights guide 5: mental health and the courts (Mind 2004)
Mind rights guide 6: community care and aftercare (Mind 2005)
Mind rights guide 7: managing your finances (Mind 2005)
Understanding manic depression (Mind 2003)
Understanding personality disorders (Mind 2005)
Understanding schizophrenia (Mind 2005)
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This booklet was originally written by Rhys Davies and was revised by Simon Foster, with thanks to David Cusick
First published by Mind 1995
Revised edition © Mind 2006
ISBN 1-903567-23-8
No reproduction without permission
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