Assessing Fitness to Be Interviewed by the Police and Fitness to Plead

Being detained in a police station or facing charges in court can be a daunting and even frightening prospect, especially for someone with a mental disorder. It is essential that the process is fair, both for perpetrators and victims. Clinicians involved must be aware of how safeguarding individuals, reliability of evidence and participation in criminal proceedings can depend on their assessment, often right from the outset in custody.

This seminar, led by Dr Mike Ventress, Forensic Psychiatrist, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, gives a comprehensive overview of the legal and clinical aspects of two key but very different concepts - being fit to be interviewed by the police and being fit to plead. You will learn about the safeguards built into legislation for the mentally disordered in the criminal justice system, the role of clinicians, and the impact of their assessment in ensuring fairness for detainees and those charged with offences. We will work through a number of extensive clinical scenarios.

After attending this course, delegates will be...

• Be familiar with key elements of legislation underpinning fitness to plead and fitness to be interviewed.
• Understand the process of assessing both (they are quite different).
• Feel confident in explaining and setting out the findings of your assessment in a report.

Dr Ventress has been a consultant Forensic Psychiatrist for 19 years and worked in a variety of secure settings. He regularly provides opinions for the courts, covering fitness to be interviewed and fitness to plead and is co-author of a paper on the former.

Suitability

This course offers 6 CPD points and is suitable for mental health and learning disabilities professionals, police and appropriate adults.