Ep63: Appropriately supported? Vulnerability in police custody

Suspects can be held in police custody for up to 24 hours - and sometimes longer. During this time, they may be questioned by police. But what happens when someone in custody has a mental health condition or is neurodivergent? Is police custody capable of recognising potential vulnerabilities and responding appropriately?Penelope and Rob are joined by Dr Roxanna Dehaghani of Cardiff University and Rhona Friedman of Commons Legal to explore the experience of police custody, how it can cause or exacerbate harm, and what needs to change to make the process fairer and safer for vulnerable people.Dr Roxanna DehaghaniFind out more about Roxanna's research here: https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/fatemi-dehaghanirRhona FriedmanLearn more about Rhona's practice here: https://www.commons.legal/Further resourcesAll-Party Parliamentary Group report on police custody: https://futurejustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/APPGMiscarriagesofJustice_RecalimingCustodyastheFirstLineofDefence.pdfPanorama investigation into police custody: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002k7k6 More information on the Baird inquiry into overuse of police custody: https://www.transformjustice.org.uk/news-insight/the-baird-inquiry-into-overuse-of-police-custody/Transform JusticeTwitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TransformJust1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BlueSky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@transformjustice.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Transform Justice podcast is hosted by Penelope Gibbs and Rob Allen and produced and edited by Alexandra Kimmons.