Overview of the Organisation of Forensic Mental Health Services Internationally: Towards a Balanced Care Model

Objective The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the provision and organization of forensic mental health services around the world. In particular, we attempt to address the following question: What system-level characteristics are important to consider in relation to the organization and structure of forensic mental health services? Methods To do so, we synthesize publicly accessible information, identified through Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), ProQuest Central, Scopus, PsycInfo, Google Scholar and Google, to describe how forensic systems are organized throughout the world. We examine the fundamental principles in the organization of services and examine potential quality indicators. Results This review is a steppingstone for the identification of best practices. Based on these fundamental principles, an efficient forensic mental health system would include the following elements: providing a comprehensive and balanced continuum of services; integrating services within and between systems; matching services to individual need; adhering to human rights; responding to population diversity; and using the best available evidence to make system-wide improvements. Conclusion Though all of these system-level principles are important, we focus on how the first three (service continuum, system integration, and service matching) may be applied to the organization of forensic mental health services.