The Centre for Health and Justice, led by Professor Eddie Kane and based here at the Institute of Mental Health, is part of a research collaboration awarded £1.5m from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.

Together with RAND Europe, Skills for Health and Justice, and Get the Data, the Centre will be investigating the use of ‘Out of Court Disposals’ (OOCD) in adults with health vulnerabilities.

The term ‘Out of Court Disposals’ (OOCD) refers to a range of options available to the police to use in certain cases as an alternative to a prosecution, including Community Resolutions and Conditional Cautions.

This project will examine how police use OOCDs with people who have health vulnerabilities, including mental health issues, female offenders, young offenders, and people with neurodiverse needs. It will identify any gaps in service provision and support police in identifying local specialist services for specific groups. In addition, the research team will improve data capture methods, enabling the police to use it to improve management of offenders with vulnerabilities.

Work on the project commenced October 2021, and is expected to end in June 2023