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The view that there is something inherently wrong with the ways in which police are held accountable when a person dies in their custody has been expressed across several national contexts, most often with a focus on Indigenous people and people of colour. This is so even when processes typically seen as accountability mechanisms are engaged. With a view to garnering some understanding of this dissatisfaction, this paper focuses on the question, How is police accountability understood by those discussing deaths of Indigenous people in police custody in an Australian context? A narrative review method identified key themes from textual sources that discussed police accountability in the specific context of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person dying in police custody. The findings indicated three key elements of how police accountability is understood, namely: independent investigation of police actions, criminal prosecution, and public giving of honest evidence, with these themes emerging against a background of claims that police accountability does not exist when Indigenous people die in police custody. Of particular interest are findings as to what the narrative review did not show about police accountability and what that might mean for developing police accountability processes that better meet the needs and expectations of Australia’s First Nations people and the broader community. It is proposed that, in contrast to police being ‘held accountable’, the complementary position of police ‘being accountable’ may yield better accountability-related outcomes in policing contexts, both systemically and individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and method The aim was to evaluate an innovative pathway in police custody suites that aimed to specifically address alcohol-related health needs through screening and brief interventions by police custody staff. This paper presents a qualitative investigation of challenges involved in implementing the pathway. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 22 staff involved with commissioning and delivering the pathway; thematic analysis of interview data was then undertaken. Results An overarching theme highlights the challenges and uncertainties of delivering brief alcohol interventions in the custody suite. These include challenges related to the setting, the confidence and competence of the staff, identifying for whom a brief intervention would be of benefit and the nature of the brief intervention. Clinical implications Our findings show that there is a lack of clarity over how alcohol-related offending can be identified in police custody, whose role it is to do that and how to intervene.

In contemporary discussions, there is growing debate over the procedural methods employed by police in obtaining evidence from suspects while in custody. A key point of contention is whether evidence acquired through illegal means should be admitted in court, with some arguing that its admission violates the suspect's right to a fair trial, while others contend that such evidence is crucial for proving the case. The law is currently ambiguous on this issue. According to the Oxford Legal Dictionary, illegally obtained evidence is defined as evidence acquired through methods that contravene legal procedures. Importantly, the distinction between evidence obtained illegally and confessions made while in police custody is critical, as Section 26(1) of the Evidence Act 1950 explicitly prohibits the admission of confessions made under such circumstances. This article aims to explore the status of illegally obtained evidence and assess whether it should be admitted or excluded by the courts when the evidence is obtained from a suspect in police custody.

Aims and method: The aim was to evaluate an innovative pathway in police custody suites that aimed to specifically address alcohol-related health needs through screening and brief interventions by police custody staff. This paper presents a qualitative investigation of challenges involved in implementing the pathway. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 22 staff involved with commissioning and delivering the pathway; thematic analysis of interview data was then undertaken. Results: An overarching theme highlights the challenges and uncertainties of delivering brief alcohol interventions in the custody suite. These include challenges related to the setting, the confidence and competence of the staff, identifying for whom a brief intervention would be of benefit and the nature of the brief intervention. Clinical implications: Our findings show that there is a lack of clarity over how alcohol-related offending can be identified in police custody, whose role it is to do that and how to intervene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of anxiety and stress on false confessions among police suspects in custody. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted an ex post facto design. Participants were one hundred and nine (N 109) suspects in custody at the State Criminal Investigation Department of Kaduna State Police Command, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The present study included three measurement tools to assess different constructs: The Gudjonsson Confession Questionnaire-Revised (GCQ-R) was utilized to evaluate false confession, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was employed to assess anxiety levels, and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was utilized to measure perceived stress. Findings: Results revealed that state anxiety positively predicted false confession (β =0.191, p < 0.05), whereas trait anxiety has no significant effect on false confession (β=- 0.050, p > 0.05), while perceived stress positively predicted false confession (β =0.273, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that state anxiety and perceived stress contribute to a suspect's predisposition to make a false confession. It was recommended that police officers be more cognizant of when and under what conditions they use interrogation methods in view of the level of anxiety and stress the suspect might be in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Within England, children and young people (CYP) who come into police custody are referred to Liaison and Diversion (L&D) teams. L&D teams have responsibility for liaising with healthcare and other support services while working to divert CYP away from the criminal justice system but have traditionally not provided targeted psychological interventions to CYP. Considering evidence that Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) leads to a reduction in internalising and externalising behaviour problems in CYP, the aim of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to determine whether there is a difference between services as usual (SAU) plus SFBT offered by trained therapists working within a L&D team, and SAU alone, in reducing offending behaviours in 10–17-year-olds presenting at police custody. Methods Design: two-arm individually RCT with internal pilot and process evaluation. Participants: N = approximately 448 CYP aged 10–17 years presenting at one of three police custody suites in the area served by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) who are referred to the L&D team. Participants will be recruited and allocated to intervention:control on a 1:1 basis. Interviews will be performed with 30–40 CYP in the intervention arm, 15 CYP in the control arm, up to 20 parents/guardians across both arms, up to 15 practitioners, and up to 10 site staff responsible for screening CYP for the trial. Intervention and control: Those allocated to the intervention will be offered SAU plus SFBT, and control participants will receive SAU only. Primary outcome: CYP frequency of offending behaviours assessed through the Self-Report Delinquency Measure (SRDM) at 12 months post-randomisation. Secondary outcomes: criminal offence data (national police database); emotional and behavioural difficulties (self-report and parent/guardian reported); gang affiliation (self-report). Process evaluation: evaluation of acceptability and experiences of the CYP, parents/guardians, site staff and practitioners; fidelity of SFBT delivery. Discussion This two-arm individually RCT will evaluate the effectiveness of SFBT in reducing offending behaviours in CYP presenting at police custody suites within the area served by LSCFT. Our process evaluation will assess the fidelity of delivery of SFBT, the factors affecting implementation, the acceptability of SFBT in CYP aged 10–17 years and recruitment and reach. We will also examine systems and structures for future delivery, therefore assessing overall scalability. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ISRCTN14195235 . Registered on June 16, 2023.

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Copyright of Boletín Criminológico is the property of Instituto Andaluz Interuniversitario de Criminologia (Seccion Malaga) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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SUMMARY: Mental disorders are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, and this applies equally to police custody. These environments are complex and often pressured, and the acuity of the situation, combined with underlying mental disorders, comorbid medical problems and substance misuse, can lead to behavioural disturbance and increased psychiatric risk. Police custody may also present an opportunity to identify and signpost people with mental disorders and vulnerabilities who are ordinarily hard to reach by standard health services. This article considers the purposes of mental health screening of detainees in police custody. It gives an overview of research into screening for a range of psychiatric disorders and vulnerabilities (including substance misuse and traumatic brain injury) and summarises data on deaths in and immediately following release from custody. Given the inadequacy of statutory screening procedures in some jurisdictions, the authors offer a pragmatic evidence-based protocol to guide screening for mental disorders in custody detainees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are more prevalent in criminal justice settings than in the wider population. Previous research focusing primarily on young people and the prison population has led to calls for early interventions and screening, particularly in youth justice settings. NHS Liaison and Diversion (L&D) referrals in a single police force region in England were screened for SLCN over a period of three months. The results indicate a need for early identification of SLCN for all age groups, and for those with no previous SLCN‐related diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Most studies agree that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a negative impact on mental health. On the other hand, international studies have shown that psychiatric emergency departments (pED) experienced a decrease in presentations and admissions. Methods Retrospective chart review of all pED presentations and admissions during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Germany (Covid-19 period: 3/2/20 to 05/24/20) in a psychiatric hospital in Berlin compared to 1 year earlier (pre-Covid-19 period). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed. Results We observed no statistical significant changes in overall pED presentations and overall hospital admissions during the Covid-19 period compared to the pre-Covid-19 period (813 vs. 894, − 9.1%, p = 0.064 and (363 vs. 437, − 16.9%, p = 0.080 respectively). In the subgroup analysis, less patients with depressive disorders (p = 0.035) and with personality disorders (p = 0.002) presented to the pED, a larger number of presentations with schizophrenia was observed (p = 0.020). In the Covid-19 period, less patients with substance use disorder and paranoid schizophrenia were admitted to the hospital via the pED than in the pre-Covid-19 period (p = 0.035 and p = 0.006, respectively). Bed capacity was reduced in the Covid-19 period by − 32.8% (p

Citizens' deaths in police custody are sometimes attributed to "excited delirium syndrome" (ExDS). This terminology is rejected by the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association. ExDS has no demonstrable pathology but has been proposed as predisposing to sudden death, thus exonerating police. Ketamine use during arrests complicates manner of death. ExDS deaths trigger lawsuits claiming police misconduct and excessive force. Defendant officers and municipalities have used ExDS to distance themselves from liability, using expert testimony from nonpsychiatrists. This argument is expressed despite lack of autopsy findings, the false idea that mental illness itself can lead to sudden death, and the absence of consistent diagnostic criteria. This article traces the history of ExDS and reviews the arguments for and against its use in psychiatry and law enforcement. The authors conclude that the label is medically unreliable, has eroded confidence in police-citizen interactions, and obscures dynamics of deaths in custody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a unique criminal justice organisation, the police present challenges, but also opportunities for those who research them. These are examined, in terms of getting in, getting on, getting your hands dirty and getting through it, using data collected as part of a comparative multi-method study of police custody in large cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the United States in 2007 and 2009. As this research took place on the cusp of the proliferation of research with the police, retrospective examination of field notes is used to reflect on how the research process is influenced not just by one's social origins but also by the culture of academia and the politics of knowledge production. It is argued that while research with the police is becoming the norm, research on the police is still of value as part of a diverse police research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most studies agree that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a negative impact on mental health. On the other hand, international studies have shown that psychiatric emergency departments (pED) experienced a decrease in presentations and admissions. Methods: Retrospective chart review of all pED presentations and admissions during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Germany (Covid-19 period: 3/2/20 to 05/24/20) in a psychiatric hospital in Berlin compared to 1 year earlier (pre-Covid-19 period). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed. Results: We observed no statistical significant changes in overall pED presentations and overall hospital admissions during the Covid-19 period compared to the pre-Covid-19 period (813 vs. 894, − 9.1%, p = 0.064 and (363 vs. 437, − 16.9%, p = 0.080 respectively). In the subgroup analysis, less patients with depressive disorders (p = 0.035) and with personality disorders (p = 0.002) presented to the pED, a larger number of presentations with schizophrenia was observed (p = 0.020). In the Covid-19 period, less patients with substance use disorder and paranoid schizophrenia were admitted to the hospital via the pED than in the pre-Covid-19 period (p = 0.035 and p = 0.006, respectively). Bed capacity was reduced in the Covid-19 period by − 32.8% (p < 0.001). Presentations in police custody were 13.7% (p = 0.029) higher during the Covid-19 compared to pre-Covid-19 period, with higher rates in female presentations (p = 0.008) and suicide attempts (p = 0.012) and less hospital admissions (p = 0.048). Logistic regression analyses revealed that positive predictors for pED presentation during Covid-19 period were police custody (p < 0.001), being redirected from another hospital (p < 0.001), suicide attempt (p = 0.038), suicidal thoughts (p = 0.004), presentation with paranoid schizophrenia (p = 0.001) and bipolar and manic disorders (p = 0.004), negative predictors were hospital admission (p < 0.001), depressive disorders (p = 0.021) and personality disorders (p < 0.001). Conclusions: A larger number of presentations in police custody during the Covid-19 period may represent untreated medical needs. This was seen predominantly in female patients, suggesting this subgroup might have suffered particularly under lockdown measures. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia were the only subgroup, which increased in absolute numbers, also suggesting a particular lockdown effect. Reduced bed capacity due to infection curbing measures is suggestive to have played an important role in augmenting the threshold for hospital admissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic medicine has traditionally been understood as constituting a tension between medical and legal roles: a care-custody paradox. Rather than reinforcing this paradox, however, in this paper I will draw upon a study of Healthcare Professionals working within police custody suites in England in order to show the ways that they coproduce [Jasanoff, S., 2004. States of knowledge: the co-production of science and social order. London: Routledge] their work with the aim of simultaneously meeting the requirements of both their police (for instance PACE codes) and healthcare (for instance the Nursing and Midwifery Code of Practice) responsibilities. Focusing on acts of 'mundane care' [Brownlie, J. and Spandler, H., 2018. Materialities of mundane care and the art of holding one's own. Sociology of health and illness, 40 (2), 256–269], the typification of detainees and the use of detention cells as risk management tools, I will show that rather than undergoing an existential crisis, Healthcare Professionals mobilise coproduced practices in order to perform their work successfully, thereby further enabling police and detention officers to achieve their custody objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's deaths in custody remain under‐researched around the world. This article reports on a large‐scale study on deaths in custody conducted in Australia that involved an analysis of 736 coroners' inquest reports dated between 1991 and 2020. Women were substantially under‐represented among this sample, comprising less than 5% of all deaths, but half of the women were Indigenous. While most of the women had a range of individual risk factors in common – such as a history of victimisation, mental illness and drug and alcohol use – the Indigenous women also experienced systemic racism from their custodians and the medical personnel to whom they were referred for treatment. While most coroners focused primarily on the cause of death, some made recommendations directed at addressing unconscious bias. This research supports calls for alternatives to detention for women and the decriminalisation of racialised offences such as public intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) has recently reinforced its directives on the legal safeguards that should be guaranteed for individuals in police custody. This reform process has underlined the importance of detainees being informed of the exact reason for their detention and their procedural rights. This study explores the process by which police inform individuals of their rights in Spain now that implementation of the new European rules is mandatory. Our findings suggest that the police meet their obligation to read the detainee's rights but fail to ensure that these rights are understood. In addition, it has been found that the different individuals involved, that is, detainees, police officers and lawyers, have different expectations about the process of detention, which, on occasions, severely complicates the observation of some procedural safeguards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Head injury is prevalent in prisoners and is associated with offending behaviour. Awareness and assessment of the occurrence and effects of recent head injury is important and should occur at an early stage in the criminal justice system. This study looks at knowledge about detainees with a recent head injury in police custody and considers the implications for training of custody officers.Questionnaires about perceived training needs and knowledge about head injury were completed by 67 custody officers in Scotland. All officers reported a need for further training about head injury and the most common areas of need were perceived to be assessment, early management and long term effects. Knowledge and past training seemed to be more focussed on awareness of potentially catastrophic brain injury and a limited understanding of impairment of insight and of emotional and behavioural effects was evident.There is a need for routine training about recent effects of head injury for custody officers to include the effects on insight, emotional and behavioural effects in detainees in addition to training on catastrophic outcomes which tends to be the main focus of current practice.

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People with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities are overrepresented in criminal justice. The lack of an adequate identification in the early stages usually lasts throughout criminal processes. Objective: to determine how many people with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities who were detained suspected of committing a crime were detected by the police medical staff in the City of Buenos Aires. Materials and methods: retrospective observational study of 70 cases of detainees. Results: the sample studied was of 47 detainees. Of those, 29 had a diagnosis of intellectual disability and 18 of psychosocial disability. Police medical staff conducted 61 evaluations. Only in 8 % of the evaluations carried out, a disability was detected. In no case supports and / or adjustments were implemented in the criminal procedure. Strategies to improve early identification of people with disabilities in criminal justice should be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In the UK, police custody officers have a responsibility to screen for health morbidity and vulnerability among detainees. This study aimed to develop an understanding of the barriers to performing effective health screening in police custody suites, understand the impact of screening tools on practice within the custody suite, and to identify factors that could hinder or facilitate the future implementation of a new screening intervention in this environment. Methods A qualitative study was conducted alongside a quantitative evaluation of a novel screening tool. Qualitative methods included observation of the custody environment, semi-structured interviews with police staff, and elicitation of comments from detainees about their experiences of screening. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) was used to inform data collection and as a framework for higher level analysis of findings. Results Five overall constructs were identified that develop understanding of the integration of health screening within custody: the workability of risk assessment screening tools; the effect of the custody environment and the people therein; shifts in professional roles and interrelationships amongst staff; cultural responses to risk and liability in police work; how infrastructure, knowledge and skills can impact on detainee safety. Conclusions Health and risk assessment screening in police custody is a complex and demanding activity which extends beyond the delivery of a screening tool. Professional roles, the demanding environment and police culture impact on the overall process. Recommendations for improved integration of health and risk assessment screening in wider police custody practice are proposed.

The role of the Appropriate Adult was established to protect the rights of suspects considered 'vulnerable' due to a number of miscarriages of justice during the 1970s. Appropriate Adult services are now a legal requirement in England and Wales for detained adults with mental health issues, learning disabilities or difficulties who have been detained in police custody. The aim of this project was to evaluate the extent and involvement of disabled adults who are or have been in police custody. The study concludes by suggesting the application of a social model approach within police custody, to meet the needs of service users and to avoid any miscarriages of justice. Appropriate Adult services are now a legal requirement in England and Wales for adults detained in police custody who have mental health issues, learning disabilities or difficulties The research explores the role of Appropriate Adult schemes across England and Wales in protecting the rights of disabled people in custody. This study examines whether disabled people's voices are embraced in Appropriate Adult Schemes to improve services and to remove disabling barriers. This study discovered that service user voices were missing from every aspect of Appropriate Adult service provision. The findings suggest that in order to develop an effective criminal justice service for disabled people in custody, service user voices must be incorporated to develop a service which protects the rights of disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police custody is detention in response to a suspicion of crime. A person in custody has the right to be examined by a physician, who is responsible for determining whether the person's medical condition allows him/her to continue to be held in detention. However, there is no consensus on the definition of compatibility of the mental state with custody. Our objective was to determine the relevant criteria for compatibility and incompatibility of the mental state with detention in police custody according to medical examiners and psychiatrists. A descriptive study using a semi‐structured questionnaire was conducted from November 2016 to May 2017 with medical examiners and psychiatrists who examined detainees in police custody in Marseille. We recruited 17 medical examiners and 43 psychiatrists. We identified three sets of criteria used to determine a mental state compatible with custody: care, pathology/disorder, and the context of police custody. The primary determinant of incompatibility was a need for immediate hospitalization, followed by a high suicide risk, psychiatric dangerousness, delusional symptomatology, an inability to understand questions, and an inability for the detainee to defend him‐/herself. The psychiatrists and medical examiners differed significantly in their views of suicide risk, delusional symptomatology, and psychiatric diagnosis. Our work has permitted identification of the main determinants of incompatibility of the mental state with custody according to psychiatrists and medical examiners in Marseille. It offers preliminary results to reach a consensus and provide an inventory for physicians to use regarding police custody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young men are overrepresented among people detained in police custody in Victoria, Australia, a closed institution that has mostly escaped public scrutiny. Our study sheds light on this underexamined place from the perspective of 28 marginalized young men (aged 19–24) detained there prior to adult prison. Drawing on Bacchi's "What's the problem represented to be?" approach and the subdiscipline of carceral geography, we disrupt the assumed purpose of police custody as a place to simply detain people while awaiting court and/or transfer to prison. We illustrate how police custody, although ostensibly for ensuring the safety and protection of the community, privileges that of some over others, with detrimental effects for marginalized groups. We highlight how harsh, degrading, hostile environments intersected with lived experiences and exacerbated psychological, social, and physical health harms; made possible young men's constitution as dirty, violent, and subhuman; and worked to legitimize breaches of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young men (aged 18–24) represent a quarter of all episodes of police custody detention for adult males in Victoria, Australia. Despite this, little is known about their experience. Using Bacchi's Foucauldian-influenced "What's the problem represented to be?" approach and data from interviews with 28 young men with histories of injecting drug use who were detained in police custody prior to adult prison, we aim to address this gap in the literature. We highlight how dividing practices of discrimination made possible their subjectification as "dangerous violent Others" and how unruly behaviour and self-harm were simultaneous mechanisms for voicing their despair and frustration, for gaining power in a place in which they had very little control and for resisting dominant truths imposed upon them as worthless subjects. It is such positioning we argue, that allowed the forfeiting of their rights to basic health care, fair treatment and respect, and at the same time produced and exacerbated a range of psychological, physical and social harms. Our analysis raises important questions about police custody, notably its role in the production of inequality and further marginalisation of vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the author gives the review of the specificities of juvenile criminal proceedings concerning the application of repressive measures, which are regulated by Law on juvenile perpetrators and criminal and legal protection of the minors, analyses and compares them with the measures of procedural repression in regular criminal proceedings. It also explains to what extend the international standards of the minors are regarded when our positive criminal legislation is concerned with the special regard to deprivation of liberty of the minors. It will be clear that by application of Law on minors a positive shift has been made regarding the regulation of juvenile criminal proceedings so far, and that there is no need for any further significant reforms, among all, ones considering the repressive measures against minors, except some slight amendments which will be pointed out by this paper. New draft Law on minors does not change significantly the application of procedural repressive measure to minors, but nevertheless, the author gives the review of the amendments that have been made, by analysing their necessity and purposefulness.

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Every time a person is booked into police custody in England and Wales, they are assessed for risk of harm to themselves or others. National guidance is provided on what questions should be asked as part of this process; however, each year there are still instances of serious adverse incidents, self-harm and deaths in custody. The purpose of this study is to look at the extent to which the national guidance is being followed and the extent to which the risk assessment process varies between police forces. A Freedom of Information request was sent to all 43 police forces in England and Wales asking for information on their risk assessment process. This data was then analysed alongside findings from police custody inspection visits conducted by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. This study provides evidence that the risk assessment process is not consistent across police forces in England and Wales. Not only does the process vary from the national guidance, the content and delivery differs considerably between police forces. The findings highlight a practical problem for police forces in ensuring that risk assessment processes are conducted to a consistent standard and reflect national guidance. The study is, to the authors' knowledge, the first time that this data has been collated and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Focus on alleviating variability in risk assessment questioning to support decision making regarding Harm levels. • Statistical analysis has determined a core set of variables influencing the risk assessment of detainees. • Alcohol and/or drug use, and mental health feature in all statistical models used. The issue investigated in this paper is the risk assessment of detainees whilst they are booked into police custody in England and Wales. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people pass through police custody each year, with each detainee undergoing a risk assessment to establish risk of harm to themselves or to others. However, there has been little research to establish which risk factors identified through the current risk assessment process used within England and Wales have the most impact on risk management. Currently the analysis and evaluation of risk is subjective, based on the custody officer's judgement and experience. Little is known through literature as to which factors are most influential in this risk assessment process. This paper highlights these gaps in the process and identifies the driving factors in decision making around detainee risk in an attempt to understand the risk management process better before detailing what further research can be conducted to close the gap in the process. Multivariate analysis was carried out on a data-set comprising of custody record data from three police forces, in particular information recorded as part of the risk assessment. Logistic regression, decision tree and discriminant analysis methods were used as all have the ability to classify and predict. Comprehensive analysis and augmentation of results has determined a set of variables which had an influencing impact on observation level. These results provide the background to the development of a supportive and robust risk assessment tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]