'Fitness to plead' - What are the issues and how is it handled in court?

Journalist, Rebecca Harding, speaks to two psychiatrists about the issues surrounding a defendant's 'fitness to plead'. They both act as expert witnesses in court and write reports for the court to consider. Dr Andrew Iles is a consultant forensic psychiatrist and acts in both clinical and criminal justice settings. He led the mental health team at Brixton prison. He currently works for Surrey NHS and is responsible for the care of mentally disordered offenders, who are both in the community and in secure hospitals. He also owns the firm Expert court reports. Dr Stephen Attard is employed as the prison psychiatrist at Woodhill prison, which holds category A prisoners and operates a close supervision centre for some of the country’s most disruptive, challenging and dangerous prisoners. He completed his training in the high security environment of Broadmoor Hospital. He has also led both male and female psychiatric intensive care units.