Repeat Detentions Under Section 136: Views on "Breaking the Cycle"

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Repeat detentions under Section 136: Views from service users on understanding and "Breaking the Cycle"

• IRAS ID

  181076

• Contact name

  Claire Warrington

• Contact email

  c.warrington@brighton.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Sussex

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 29 days

• Research summary

  Under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (1983) the police have the power to remove an individual, considered to be presenting an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others, from a public place and detain them to a Place of Safety for a Mental Health Assessment. Over the last ten years there has been considerable and increasing public and government scrutiny of this legislation, including pressure to reduce the number of detentions. One of the significant issues of concern is the number of people who are detained under Section 136 on multiple occasions.
  Research in Sussex has revealed that in one year a small number of people accounted for a third of all detentions. Conversations with neighbouring Hampshire suggest this may be a consistent proportion and other police forces from across the country have also confirmed that repeated detention of certain individuals appears to be a widespread issue.
  Little previous research appears to have been based around multiple detention under Section 136 but those involved in the Sussex study have suggested that a diagnosis of Personality Disorder could be a key issue among those repeatedly detained.
  This study therefore seeks to explore the views of those with experience of repeated detention under Section 136; those involved in an intervention developed by Hampshire Police and NHS to reduce repeated detentions; and those involved in an intervention to support Personality Disorder. It is also hoped to engage carers of all three groups in the study. The purpose is to explore what factors perpetuate a cycle of repeated detentions and what may help to break that cycle from the perspective of those with relevant experience. The study also seeks to explore engagement in research among these groups.

• REC name

  London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/LO/1219

• Date of REC Opinion

  14 Sep 2015

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion