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Mind Toolkit
| Purpose: | Toolkit for advocates and prosecutors dealing with witnesses with mental distress |
|---|---|
| Scope of application: | All practising barristers |
| Issued by: | The Bar Council, Crown Prosecution Service, The Law Society and MIND |
| Last reviewed: | 01/01/2009 |
| Status and effect: | Please see the notice at end of this page. This is not "guidance" for the purposes of the BSB Handbook I6.4. |
Research by Mind in 2007 found that while people with experience of mental distress are disproportionately the victims of crime, they are also too often denied access to justice.1 The High Court case known as FB v DPP2 con rmed that one reason for this was insuf cient understanding amongst prosecutors of how to handle cases involving victims or witnesses with mental distress appropriately.
Download: The Quick Guide for Prosecutors and Advocates:
Download ( PDF )Download: The Mental Health Toolkit:
Download ( PDF )Important Notice
This document has been prepared by the Bar Council to assist barristers on matters of professional conduct and ethics. It is not “guidance” for the purposes of the BSB Handbook I6.4, and neither the BSB nor a disciplinary tribunal nor the Legal Ombudsman is bound by any views or advice expressed in it. It does not comprise – and cannot be relied on as giving – legal advice. It has been prepared in good faith, but neither the Bar Council nor any of the individuals responsible for or involved in its preparation accept any responsibility or liability for anything done in reliance on it. For fuller information as to the status and effect of this document, please see here.