For-K, Forensic-psychiatric intensive treatment units for adolescents in prison: Supply, use and need
KCE Reports 339 (2021)
The “For-K” intensive care units are intended for young people who have been placed under judicial supervision by a youth court and who present a serious psychiatric problem. They were created almost 20 years ago as part of a pilot project and there are currently 14 of them in Belgium. Almost all of the young people they accommodate have had very difficult lives which have already brought them into contact with multiple services but, up to now, no single organisation has had ultimate responsibility for them.
KCE was asked to assess the number of For-K units needed in Belgium with a view to maintaining their situation. The conclusion is that these units provide very valuable work but that while the criteria for admitting the young people are not properly defined, it is hard to determine what the offer should be. Moreover, KCE points out that action is also needed upstream and downstream of the For-K units if the aim is to prevent admissions and stop the benefit of their work being lost, and that it is time to convert their pilot funding into structural funding.
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