Identifying vulnerability in police custody: Making sense of information provided to custody officers.

Vulnerable individuals frequently come into contact with the criminal justice system with those with mental health disorders over-represented in custody. Therefore, it is crucial to identify vulnerability in order to ensure the appropriate safeguards can be put in place. Research has documented that this is problematic and can be influenced by a number of factors. The current study, therefore, aimed to understand how custody officers in England and Wales made sense of different types of information presented to them, the impact that it had on their initial disposal option and whether there was a difference in police force area. Six case scenario vignettes containing different types of vulnerability were developed and disseminated. A total of 237 custody officers from 25 police forces participated. Results highlighted that custody officers were more likely to obtain a mental health assessment in all case scenarios, except if the individual displayed comprehension difficulties - custody officers would instead seek to implement the services of an Appropriate Adult. In addition, differences between police force areas were observed. Police forces in the North of England were the least likely to obtain the assistance of an Appropriate Adult when presented with a vulnerable suspect compared to other police force areas. This suggests fundamental differences in the disposal options preferred between police force areas and has implications for the treatment of vulnerable individuals in police custody.

The "appropriate adult": What they do and what they should do in police interviews with mentally disordered suspects.

BACKGROUND: In almost all countries worldwide, the first point of contact with the criminal justice system is with the police. A large proportion of these individuals may have vulnerabilities, such as mental health difficulties. Given the complexities associated with vulnerable suspects, such interviews may be compromised, which could lead to a miscarriage of justice. In England and Wales, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and its accompanying Codes of Practice lay down requirements for interviewing vulnerable suspects and provide for attendance of "appropriate adults" to support communication between police and the vulnerable suspect. To date, however, their role has been underresearched. AIMS/HYPOTHESES: To explore the role of appropriate adults in police interviews and test the hypotheses, first, that appropriate adults more commonly remain passive during interview than expected from guidance and, second, that any interventions are more likely than not to follow examples in current guidance. METHODS: Transcripts of police interviews conducted with suspects with possible mental disorder and an appropriate adult present (N = 27) were analysed using a specially developed coding framework. RESULTS: Appropriate adults were significantly more likely to remain passive than to intervene, even when current guidance would suggest intervention. When they did intervene, however, such interventions were significantly more likely than not to follow from guidance than the vulnerable suspect's needs. Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: In our sample, appropriate adults were not fulfilling their role as outlined in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and accompanying Codes of Practice; specifically, they appeared to know what to do but not when to do it. There is a heightened risk of a miscarriage of justice in such circumstances without improvements.