This post is done on request: to cover a few issues about the use of force where section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA) is being considered or used, including powers that may be relied upon to initially manage a situation where immediate intervention is required and how that may fit in to considerations […]

A new report has been published by the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC).  It focusses on policing in particular (the panel‘s remit is to take an overview of all deaths in state custody, including prisons and psychiatry) and mental health is a core theme within it.  It’s not longest report you’ll find […]

Prior to December 2017, there was an ambiguity and an absence in explicit powers to search people detained under sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) in order to ensure they didn’t have possession of something which could be used to cause harm.  A recent question on a legal forum I use raised […]