Dr Jayne Erlam: key facts
- Kind of voice
- Academic
- Role
- Lecturer in Policing Studies
- Organisation
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Organisation based in
- Liverpool Riverside
- Quoted on
- Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
- Tracked press citations
- 1
- Most recently quoted
- 27 Aug 2026
Who Dr Jayne Erlam is
Dr Jayne Erlam is a Lecturer in Policing Studies in the School of Law and Justice Studies at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), whose research focuses on the intersection of mental distress and policing. She completed her doctoral thesis, 'The Criminalisation of Mental Distress: An Exploration of Section 136 Processes', at Lancaster University in 2022. Her research analysed data on thousands of people detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act in a north of England police constabulary, as well as interviewing front-line police officers. She has argued that shortfalls in health and social care provision result in an over-reliance on policing to manage acute mental distress, and that children detained under the Act are routinely sent to A&E rather than specialist mental health suites. She is also a registered social worker (SW118774) with Social Work England, listed as employed in Liverpool.
“What is clear is that the youngest detained do not gain access to specialist suites and instead are taken to A&E. Taking into consideration that the person has been detained because of mental distress, such a public environment under the gaze of others can do nothing to alleviate any distress.”
References for this biography
- 1.Vulnerable children spending hours in A&E under police control – study | Liverpool John Moores University — Establishes Dr Erlam's role at LJMU (School of Law and Justice Studies), her research on Section 136 detentions of children, and her public arguments about health and social care gaps driving police contact with people in mental distress.
- 2.Children detained under the Mental Health Act are spending hours in A&E under police control | British Sociological Association — Confirms press coverage of Dr Erlam's research findings presented at the BSA Medical Sociology Conference, September 2025.
- 3.The Criminalisation of Mental Distress: An Exploration of Section 136 Processes – Lancaster University research directory — Confirms Dr Erlam's 2022 doctoral thesis at Lancaster University and its subject matter (S136 detentions, Mental Health Act, policing and mental distress).
- 4.Dr Jayne Erlam (@JayneErlam) on X — Confirms her role title as Lecturer in Policing Studies at LJMU and links to her LJMU staff page.
- 5.SW118774 Jayne Erlam – Social Work England register — Confirms Dr Erlam is a registered social worker (SW118774) with an employment address in Liverpool.
- 6.Rehabilitation and resettlement: ending the cycle of reoffending – Written evidence | UK Parliament — Confirms Dr Erlam (listed as PQiP Lecturer at LJMU) submitted written evidence to a UK Parliament select committee.
Notable achievements
- Completed doctoral thesis 'The Criminalisation of Mental Distress: An Exploration of Section 136 Processes' at Lancaster University (2022), analysing 4,211 S136 detentions over 40 months from one north of England constabulary. Source ↗
- Research presented at the British Sociological Association's Medical Sociology Conference (September 2025) found that 83% of children detained under the Mental Health Act in 2024 were taken to A&E, spending an average of 18.5 hours under police control. Source ↗
- Submitted written evidence on Section 136 detentions to a UK Parliament select committee inquiry. Source ↗
Recent social activity
Where Dr Jayne Erlam has been quoted
- Children detained under Mental Health Act held for hours in A&E departmentstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
Related media coverage
Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.
Contact & links
Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.
Professors, researchers and think-tank analysts quoted on the strength of their research rather than a clinical role. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 5 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.