ANALYSIS of the relationship between intellectual disability and the criminal justice system has reached an important stage in development which will be highlighted at the University of Chester later this year.
While there is clearer strategic direction and burgeoning practitioner knowledge and expertise, the system is subject to significant financial restrictions.
Recognising both the achievements and challenges in this field, the University of Chester is organising a special conference featuring keynote speeches by Lord Keith Bradley, author of the Bradley Report (2009) and one of the Report’s contributors and a top circuit judge, Judge Robert Atherton, together with Jenny Talbot, author of No One Knows (2008).
The first Intellectual Disabilities and Criminal Justice Conference, organised by the University’s Faculty of Health and Social Care will take place on July 8, 2010, in the Best Building on the Chester campus.
It is aimed at practitioners, policymakers and academics, engaged or interested in the management, treatment and study of intellectually disabled offenders.
Conference organiser Andrew Lovell, Reader in the University’s Department of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, said: “We are delighted to be able to present the authors of both key reports as speakers at our Conference.
“All three key speakers will discuss the implications of recent policy developments on how people with intellectual disabilities engage with the criminal justice system.”
Jenny Talbot’s report for the Prison Reform Trust clearly represents the problems faced by many prisoners with intellectual disabilities, who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
The Bradley Report has already led to the establishment of the Health and Criminal Justice Board, but while the government accepts the Report’s direction of travel, new resources for it appear unlikely in the foreseeable future.
Also in the Conference programme, Judge Atherton will give the legal perspective on changes since the Bradley Report and the implications of the Mental Health Act 2007.
Additionally, there will be two symposia, each featuring four brief and varied presentations with accompanying discussion sessions.
The Conference will seek to put recent developments into context through an examination of policy, local initiatives, practitioner issues and theoretical analysis of the relationship between intellectual disability and criminal justice.
It will also provide a platform for discussion of diverse viewpoints.
Andrew Lovell added: “We expect the Conference to emphasise the need for a strategic framework, clearer identification and assessment of people with intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system and enhanced collaboration between professionals working with this client group and criminal justice agencies.”
The Department is inviting innovative proposals for abstracts to be presented at the Conference; in particular, covering legal issues and new approaches linked to the care and treatment of intellectually disabled offenders. Applications should be submitted by April 1.
The Conference registration fee is £150 if booked before April 1; otherwise £190. For further information visit the Conference website http://health.chester.ac.uk
or contact Barbara Holliday on 01244 511117 or at b.holliday@chester.ac.uk
