Mental health lawyers have welcomed the publication of a government plan to support people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system.

The government published its five-year delivery plan last week for implementing the Bradley Report’s 82 recommendations for improving the way people with mental illness or learning difficulties are treated in the criminal justice system.

The plan pledges to tackle delays in producing court psychiatric reports and to allow the transfer of mentally ill prisoners from prison to hospital in just 14 days.

The judiciary, probation officers and prison staff are to be trained to understand mental illness and – in the ‘next 18 months and beyond’ – the government is to begin putting in place ‘the overall goal of police and court liaison and diversion services’.

Mental Health Lawyers Association chairman Richard Charlton said: ‘The plan paints a brave new world model of how things should happen.

‘The ambition to have universal liaison and diversion services is fantastic, as is the target of 14 days to transfer mentally unwell prisoners.’

A definite commitment to when this would be achieved was now needed, he said.

Sean Duggan, joint chief executive of the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, said he also broadly welcomed the government’s action plan. ‘For too long we have seen too many people with mental health problems in custody, at high cost to the taxpayer, to their health and to their communities.

‘By intervening earlier and more effectively we can improve the health of some of the most excluded members of our society, make communities safer and reduce offending.’

Improving Health, Supporting Justice, The National Delivery Plan of the Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board is available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationspolicyAndGuidance/DH_108606