Considering ethnicity in forensic mental health care: Experiences of migrant and ethnic minority service users and their service providers

Despite their relative overrepresentation in a forensic psychiatric context, (the needs of) people from migrant and ethnic minority (MEM) groups have long been overlooked. Contrary to a large body of evidence in regular mental health care, it remains unclear how MEM forensic service users recover and how they desist from crime. The Good Lives Model, as a leading strengths-based rehabilitation framework, is regarded as a promising avenue. One could wonder though how forensic service users who identify themselves with MEM prioritize and conceptualize the Good Lives conceptions. In this study, we place MEM forensic service users’ perspectives on their rehabilitation needs and how these needs can be fulfilled (i.e. Good Lives conceptions) center stage. Additionally, we study forensic service providers’ needs towards MEM rehabilitation in forensic mental health services while identifying currently implemented promising practices. Next, these results will be validated by international experts in culturally sensitive mental health care and/or forensic mental health care. A mixed-method design will be used, consisting of (1) a qualitative study in a sample of MEM service users and service providers in forensic mental health services, and (2) an online Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for international experts to validate priorities in MEM forensic service user rehabilitation