Mental Health

May 2009 Access to Justice: evidence of the experiences of adults with mental health problems

Research published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2009. The report by KM Research and Consultancy Ltd summarises international research evidence on the experiences of adults with mental health problems in the justice system.

Their findings included:

  • Negative or inaccurate perceptions about mental health may be preventing adults with mental health problems from accessing justice.
  • Discrimination and prejudice may present a double jeopardy for adults with mental health problems: the discrimination in the first place combined with negative mental health impacts that such experiences incur.
  • Discrimination and stigma discourages people with mental health problems from disclosing their illness or seeking advice and support for fear of disclosure.
  • More research is needed to understand the different experiences of accessing justice for adults with mental health problems, for different demographic groups particularly by ethnicity.

    • A copy is here: MoJ Access to Justice Mental Health May 09.pdf

    Crown Copyright ISBN: 978 1 84099 227 4


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