Unfitness to Plead Consultation Responses - Law Commission ...

Law Commission Consultation No: 174 – Fitness to Plead
Attendance: Dr Andy Bickle (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist & Chair)
Dr Younus Saleem (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist)
Dr Sofia Jaffer (Specialist Registrar)
Dr Mark H Taylor (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist)
Dr Najat Khalifa (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist)
Dr Nick Larsen (Speciality Registrar)
Dr Hayley Cooper (Consultant Forensic Psychologist)
Dr Will Walker (Locum Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist)
Dr Regan Jonathon (Associate Specialist).
The Resource, Duncan Macmillan House, Porchester Road, Nottingham NG3 6AA
Chair: Dean Fathers, Chief Executive: Professor Mike Cooke CBE Our
Trust is
Offender Health Directorate
The Wells Road Centre
Wells Road
Nottingham
NG3 3AA
This was a discussion held on 14 th January 2011 at the Academic Meeting of the
Nottinghamshire Low Secure & Community Forensic Directorate and the meeting was chaired
by a member of the Offender Health Directorate working in prison psychiatry. The majority of
those present have given several opinions regarding fitness to plead in the previous 12
months.
Introduction and Presentation:
Dr Bickle gave a presentation (attached) which focused on Parts 3 and 5 of the consultation
which were felt by him to be the major areas on which those professionals present could give
valuable opinions from their experience in the time available. The majority of attendees had
been sent the consultation document in advance for their consideration.
Discussion for Submission to LawCom:
The group agreed that effective participation is currently much better protected in US law
compared with UK. However, those present agreed that due to our signing up to the Human
Rights Act effective participation is now part of UK law. The group agreed that this effective
participation is not part of the core assessment of fitness to plead under the Pritchard criteria.
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