Mental health and probation: A systematic review of the literature

By Coral Sirdifield, Charlie Brooker, Rebecca Marples

A narrative systematic review was undertaken of the literature concerning the health of people on probation. In this paper, we provide an up-to-date summary of what is known about the most effective ways of providing mental healthcare for people on probation, and what is known about the relationship between different systems and processes of mental healthcare provision, and good mental health outcomes for this population. A total of 5125 papers were identified in the initial electronic searches but after careful double-blind review only four papers related to mental health that met our criteria, although a further 24 background papers and 13 items of grey literature were identified which are reported. None of the included studies was a randomized controlled trial although one was quasi-experimental. Two of the other papers described mental health disorders in approved premises and the other described the impact and learning from an Offender Personality Disorder project. We conclude that the literature is bereft of evidence on how to effectively provide mental healthcare for people on probation.

Forensic Science International: Mind and Law Volume 1, (2020) 100003