MAPPA
MAPPA stands for Multi-Agency Public Protection
Arrangements - a set of arrangements established by police,
local authorities, the Scottish Prison Service and the local health
authority (known collectively as the Responsible Authorities)
to assess and manage the risk posed by sexual and violent
offenders.
Other agencies are also required to co-operate with the
"Responsible Authorities" to manage the risks posed by 'high risk
offenders', including mentally disordered offenders. These agencies
include Job Centre Plus, registered social landlords,
voluntary organisations and companies providing electronic
monitoring of offenders.
The MAPPA system operates at 3 levels
Level 1 - Joint Review Group. This inter-agency group screens a
large number of adults and determines their risk level. It
refers some on to the next level, but oversees a significant number
of cases where the risks are being managed effectively.
Level 2 - The MAPPA 2 panel, a higher level inter-agency group,
also meets on a regular basis to review the effectiveness of risk
management plans for a smaller number of high risk offenders who
are deemed more likely to re-offend.
Level 3 - MAPPA level 3 case conferences can be convened by a
senior police officer where the risk of harm by the offender is
assessed as high and the possibility of a further offences is
deemed imminent.
The key purposes of these three MAPPA groups are to:
- Identify convicted offenders and mentally disordered offenders
who are assessed as high risk;
- To ensure that relevant information is shared between key
agencies;
- To revisit review plans for how they are managed in the
community;
- To determine whether any further assessments are
necessary;
- To ensure that the agencies work well together to reduce any
identified risks;
- To review cases to ensure the effectiveness of the inter-agency
arrangements which have been put in place.
