Forensic Services: Rapid Review Report

This rapid review has been commissioned by the Forensic Managed Care Network in Northern Ireland and has been completed by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. The aim of this rapid review of the literature is to inform: the work of the Forensic Managed Care Network; the further development of forensic services in Northern Ireland; and so contribute to better outcomes for service users and carers. A rapid review provides an overview of some of the key issues and evidence from the policy and research literature. It is not a systematic or comprehensive review of all of the available
evidence for specific interventions but nonetheless it can bring together a summary of important, recent developments and inform consideration of what other data may be useful to explore and possible future service and research developments. The Forensic Managed Care Network has already completed recent reports on the development of Forensic Intellectual and Developmental Disability services and on Low Secure provision and so, while both important areas are mentioned in this report, they are not the focus. The next stage of this process will be to use the findings of the rapid review to help design an online survey for policy-makers, professionals, service users and carers to explore their views on the strengths and limitations of current services in Northern Ireland and how they could be further developed.