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African–Caribbean men remanded to Brixton Prison

Psychiatric and forensic characteristics and outcome of final court appearance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Kamaldeep Bhui ,
Phillip Brown ,
Tim Hardie ,
J. P. Watson  and
Janet Parrott
Kamaldeep Bhui*
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Guy's United Medical and Dental Schools, London
Phillip Brown
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Guy's United Medical and Dental Schools, London
Tim Hardie
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Guy's United Medical and Dental Schools, London
J. P. Watson
Affiliation:
Bexley Hospital
Janet Parrott
Affiliation:
Bexley Hospital
*
Dr K. Bhui, Wellcome Training Fellow, Institute of Psychiatry, DeCrespigny Park, London SE5 8AZ. E-mail: kamaldeep@msn.com
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Abstract

Background

African–Caribbean men are over-represented in psychiatric and forensic services and in the prison population. A failure of community services to engage mentally ill African–Caribbean men and their presentation through the criminal justice system culminates in a repeated pattern of forensic service and criminal justice system contact.

Method

We carried out a cross-sectional survey during a one-year period of a sample of potentially mentally ill men remanded to HMP Brixton in south London. Men were interviewed to establish their place of birth, first language, socio-demographic profile, ethnicity, psychiatric diagnosis, levels of alcohol and substance misuse, criminality, violence involved in their index offence, past psychiatric and forensic contacts and outcome of court appearance.

Results

Two hundred and seventy-seven men were interviewed. In comparison with White men, African–Caribbean men were more often diagnosed as having schizophrenia and were more often sent to hospital under a mental health act order. African–Caribbean men were remanded in custody despite more stable housing conditions and more favourable indices of lifetime criminality, substance misuse and violence.

Conclusions

Community services, including diversion schemes, should be especially sensitive to African–Caribbean men with schizophrenia who ‘fall out of care’, who are not diverted back into care and are therefore unnecessarily remanded.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 172 , Issue 4 , April 1998 , pp. 337 - 344
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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