Services

Criminal Justice Liaison Service

Gloucestershire

The Criminal Justice Liaison Service (CJLS) provides interventions for persons from the age of 10, who find themselves within the criminal justice system, and are suspected of having health vulnerabilities such as mental health issues, a learning disability or substance misuse issues.

The aim of the service is to help these people to access appropriate services provided by statutory and third sector organisations as quickly as possible.

The CJLS provides an assessment of needs and short term interventions, which are available for those who have been arrested and are in police custody, or charged with an offence and appearing in front of the courts. It aims to ensure that people with mental health problems or other vulnerabilities are diverted from the criminal justice system when it is appropriate, and to support them through the criminal justice system when the nature of the offence prevents diversion from occurring.

The team consists of practitioners with a diverse range of experiences and work closely with all criminal justice agencies. There is a seven day a week presence in police custody, druing the opening hours of Cheltenham Magistrates Court, and where necessary Gloucester Crown Court.

The service also assists the courts in obtaining full psychiatric reports for those who are being considered for detention under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Self referral form