Over the last 25 years there has been a growing recognition that the way in which cases involving the vulnerable are investigated, charged and tried needs to change. Successive judgments of the Court of Appeal have re-enforced the message that advocates and judges have a duty to ensure vulnerable witnesses and defendants are treated fairly and allowed to participate effectively in the process. How do practitioners recognise who is or may be vulnerable? How should that person be interviewed? What account should police and the CPS take of a defendant's vulnerabilities? How should advocates adjust their questioning of vulnerable witnesses and defendants whilst still complying with their duties to their client? How should judges manage a trial to ensure the effective participation of vulnerable witnesses and defendants? Vulnerable People and the Criminal Justice System, written by leading experts in the field, gathers together for the first time answers to these questions and many more. It provides a practical, informative and thought-provoking guide to recognising, assessing and responding to vulnerability in witnesses and defendants at each stage of the criminal process. Backed by authoritative research and first-hand experience and drawing on recent case law, this book enables practitioners to deal with cases involving vulnerable people with calmness, authority, and confidence.

Over the past four decades, the rate of incarceration in the United States has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, both historically and in comparison to that of other developed nations. At far higher rates than the general population, those in or entering U.S. jails and prisons are prone to many health problems. This is a problem not just for them, but also for the communities from which they come and to which, in nearly all cases, they will return. Health and Incarceration is the summary of a workshop jointly sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) Committee on Law and Justice and the Institute of Medicine(IOM) Board on Health and Select Populations in December 2012. Academics, practitioners, state officials, and nongovernmental organization representatives from the fields of healthcare, prisoner advocacy, and corrections reviewed what is known about these health issues and what appear to be the best opportunities to improve healthcare for those who are now or will be incarcerated. The workshop was designed as a roundtable with brief presentations from 16 experts and time for group discussion. Health and Incarceration reviews what is known about the health of incarcerated individuals, the healthcare they receive, and effects of incarceration on public health. This report identifies opportunities to improve healthcare for these populations and provides a platform for visions of how the world of incarceration health can be a better place.

The first book to provide a practical guide to understanding, assessing, and dealing with vulnerable witnesses and vulnerable defendants at each stage of the pre-trial and court process. This title draws together the law, protocols and guidelines relating to the responsibilities of judges, magistrates, advocates, defence solicitors and the CPS.

This thought-provoking book highlights the increasing recognition of the prevalence of neurodisability within criminal justice systems, discussing conditions including intellectual, cognitive and behavioural impairments, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and traumatic and acquired brain injury. International scholars and practitioners demonstrate the extent and complexity of the neurodisability experience and present practical solutions for criminal justice reform.

Providing a comparative analysis of both vulnerable witnesses and vulnerable suspects, this book discusses the increasingly difficult issue faced by many in modern policing, forensic psychology, criminology, and social justice studies. Examining recent legislation, guidance, current psychological theory, and contemporary research and literature, the book enhances the currently limited knowledge of vulnerability in the criminal justice system (CJS) through the presentation of theoretical understanding, case law and real-life case studies. It also explores how vulnerable victims, witnesses, and suspects progress through the system in England and Wales from initially being identified as vulnerable through to the measures used to assist them during interviews and at trial. In doing so, it provides a historical overview of how vulnerability has previously been considered, and how effective those with vulnerabilities were perceived to be in actively participating in the CJS. Further chapters consider how vulnerable individuals are safeguarded, the differences in services available to them, and what this may lead to in terms of effective participation in the system. How vulnerable groups are interviewed, what is considered best practice, and whether such practices are suitable also come under scrutiny. Exploring Vulnerability in the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales is important reading for students and scholars of policing, forensic psychology, criminology, and social justice studies. It will also be of use for any organisations that conduct internal investigations such as non-government organizations, security and defence organisations, and corporate organizations.

This book is concerned with the vulnerability of suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings and the extent to which the vulnerable accused can effectively participate in the criminal process. Commencing with an exploration of how vulnerability is defined and identified, the collection examines and analyses how vulnerability manifests and is addressed at the police station and in court, addressing both child and adult accused persons. Leading and emerging scholars, along with practitioners with experience working in the field, explore and unpack the human rights and procedural implications of suspect and defendant vulnerability and examine how their needs are supported or disregarded. Drawing upon different disciplinary approaches and a range of analyses – doctrinal, theoretical and empirical – this book offers unique insights into the vulnerability and treatment of the criminal accused. In bringing together a diverse range of perspectives, the book offers key insights into the recognition of and responses to vulnerability among suspect and defendant populations in criminal justice systems across European jurisdictions. The book will be a valuable resource for academics, practitioners and policymakers interested in how vulnerable suspects and defendants are protected throughout the criminal process, and those working in the areas of law, criminology, sociology, human rights and psychology.

The Criminal Justice System is becoming a de facto provider of mental health care, according to a series of recent prison inspections and reports on policing and mental illness which have highlighted the crisis in mental health services. However, the pressures on prisons and other areas of the CJS mean that the needs of those with mental health problems are often overlooked. This book examines the experiences of people with mental health problems across all stages of the CJS and across all the points of contact – police, Courts and prisons between the CJS and people with mental health problems. Providing a clearly written, comprehensive introduction to the main themes in this field, it also has a clear critical edge highlighting the failings in the areas of penal and social policy that have resulted in increasing numbers of people with mental health problems being criminalised. Highlighting a very important social issue, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System provides a thorough introduction to this subject for social work students and practitioners.