Women with intellectual disability in secure settings and their mental health needs

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to describe the development of secure services for women with intellectual disability in the UK and to outline what is known about their mental health needs.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a general review which is based on what is known historically about the subject, findings from the current literature and the author's own personal knowledge of these specialist services.

Findings

Secure services for women with intellectual disability have developed out of mainstream forensic and learning disability services.

Originality/value

Although there is a reasonable body of literature on offending in the intellectually disabled population as a whole, little of this is specific to women. Despite this, the evidence there is suggests that women continue to require secure services and that they have significant mental health needs.

Citation

Beber, E. (2012), "Women with intellectual disability in secure settings and their mental health needs", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 151-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/20441281211227247