On Friday I was pleased to visit Liverpool Crown Court to discuss Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTR) during sentencing in the court system. Currently there is little provision to take into account mental health issues when people are facing sentencing, despite it being a contributing factor in many people’s cases and why they have ended up in legal trouble.

Merseyside is one of seven areas taking part in a pilot scheme to identify mental health issues during the legal process with trained staff on hand to identify where dedicated counselling and mental health support would make a difference to an offender. It also speeds up sentencing for those who work through the process. Of roughly 7500 cases in 2022-23 across Merseyside the pilot worked with 112 offenders and has produced very positive results.

I heard first-hand from two service users who have benefitted from the scheme. The work involves intense counselling and self-reflection, and must be completed, but both service users reported the positive difference it had made in their lives. One is working towards their own psychology degree and hopes to be able to work with other offenders to help them.

As a member of Parliament’s Justice Committee and as a former Justice Minister, I’ve seen the impact mental health problems can have on why people end up in court and on the current backlog of cases waiting to be tried in court.

I was joined by Merseyside Police & Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, representatives from NHS England and from across the court system.