Accessibility statement

Latin America-UK Collaboration for Forensic Mental Health Research, Development and Innovation

BACKGROUND

In April 2021, representatives from five countries in Latin America (Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay) and the United Kingdom (England and Wales) formed a forensic mental health research collaboration.  Our vision is to improve the mental health of individuals throughout the criminal justice pathway in Latin America and the Caribbean. We will achieve this by: 

  1. Developing and maintaining a strong forensic mental health clinical research network across Latin America and the Caribbean
  2. Undertaking research reflecting the priorities of the region and the needs of individual countries
  3. Building sustainable research capability and capacity

OUR PRINCIPLES

The principles of our collaboration are equity, involvement, impact and sustainability.

OUR COLLABORATORS

 

Anne Aboaja

Andrew Forrester

Adrian Mundt

Guillermo Rivera

Julio Torales

PUBLICATIONS

  • Cifuentes-Gramajo PA, Beigel L, Bacigalupo F, Gómez-Durán G, Cortés-Jara C, Osnaya JL, et al. (2026). Suicide prevention in Latin American prisons: a multiple case study with meta-matrix of policies, programmes and protocols in 17 countries. BMJ Global Health
  • Aboaja A, McFarlane S, Raphael J, Ali M, Cifuentes-Gramajo PA. Mental healthcare needs and opportunities in Guatemala. BJPsych International. Published online (2025). Mental healthcare needs and opportunities in Guatemala. BJPsych International Cambridge Core
  • Torales, Julio, Velázquez, Gisselle, Estigarribia, Gladys, Forrester, Andrew , Amarilla, Diego, Mujica, Patricia Ríos, Aguilar, Gloria, Torres-Romero, Anthon Daniel, López, Nicolás, Gauto, Sofía, O’Higgins, Marcelo, Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás, Ventriglio, Antonio, Castaldelli-Maia, João Mauricio and Barrios, Iván (2025). A first comprehensive picture of the mental health issues of female prisoners in Paraguay: Prevalence and associated factors. Medicine, Science and the Law
  • Mckenna C. Guillermo Rivera: Cuídate de la justicia Boliviana. BJPsych Bulletin. (2024). Guillermo Rivera: Cuídate de la justicia Boliviana.  BJPsych Bulletin Cambridge Core
  • Beigel, Lukas, Andrew Forrester, Julio Torales, Anne Aboaja, Guillermo Rivera Aroyo, Marcelo O’Higgins Roche, Annette Opitz-Welke, and Adrian P. Mundt (2023). "Mental health intervention research in Latin American correctional settings: A scoping review." International Journal of Social Psychiatry 
  • Forrester, Andrew, Anne Aboaja, Lukas Beigel, Adrian P. Mundt, Guillermo Rivera, and Julio Torales (2023). "Mental health in prisons in Latin America: The effects of COVID-19." Medicine, Science and the Law

 

CONTACT

Dr Anne Aboaja 
LATAM Collaboration Chair
anne.aboaja@york.ac.uk