The use of physical force, by anyone, has only two outcomes: it either moves / hurts / kills people; or it moves / damages / destroys things.  Whether any broader, secondary purpose is achieved by that use of force – whether the force has ‘utility’ – is quite another matter again.  This is why the […]

Here is a common situation around Mental Health Act assessments, either for those in police custody as suspects for something or relating to people who have been removed to a place of safety under the MHA: What do you do when there are inter-area disputes about who should deal? This occurs in a few scenarios: […]

Here’s a controversial and provoking thought: the Mental Health Act is not, ultimately, about healthcare.  It’s about security. It’s not about individual autonomy and recovery, it’s about the politics of control.  This is not my view: it is a position considered by many people who question the medical model of mental illness and its associated […]