Information for Defence Counsel
Tū Mana assists defence counsel with specialist assessments where addiction, mental health, trauma, psychosocial stressors, family harm, cultural disconnection, risk, or rehabilitation options may be relevant to court decision-making.
Our role is to provide independent, clinically grounded, culturally responsive, and practical assessment reports. We are not advocates, and we do not replace the role of counsel, probation, treatment providers, or the Court.
Our assessments help clarify a person’s needs, risks, strengths, treatment readiness, and realistic rehabilitation options. Reports are written in clear language to support informed decision-making, treatment planning, and appropriate rehabilitation pathways.
Tū Mana reports may assist with:
- bail or EM bail planning
- sentence indication
- sentencing
- residential rehabilitation applications
- treatment pathway planning
- probation and community support planning
- addendum reports where new information becomes available
Our focus is to provide clear, balanced, and useful assessment information so counsel, the Court, and relevant services can better understand what is contributing to the person’s current situation, what risks need to be managed, and what support pathway is most realistic.
Information That Helps Us Complete the Assessment
Where available, counsel can assist by providing:
- charging documents
- summary of facts
- criminal history
- traffic history
- previous sentencing notes or reports
- current court dates and plea status
- bail or remand status
- relevant protection order or family violence information
- previous AOD, mental health, psychological, cultural, or probation reports
- relevant medical, psychiatric, addiction, or counselling records
- information about current or proposed rehabilitation options
- whānau or support person contact details, where consent is provided.
Not all information will be required in every case. The assessment scope will depend on the referral question, timeframe, consent, and complexity of the matter.
How Tū Mana Assists Counsel
Tū Mana can support counsel by:
- clarifying whether an assessment is appropriate
- providing a quote and scope for Legal Aid or private funding
- identifying what information is needed before assessment
- coordinating interviews with clients in custody where practicable
- assessing substance use patterns and their relevance to offending
- identifying co-existing mental health, trauma, and psychosocial needs
- considering treatment readiness and risk
- mapping realistic rehabilitation options
- liaising with treatment providers where consent is provided
- preparing addendum reports when new information becomes available
- producing clear, court-ready reports that support practical decision-making
Specialist Assessment, Not a Generic Cultural Report
Tū Mana does not provide generic cultural background reports.
Where culture, identity, whānau, disconnection, colonisation, grief, trauma, or belonging are relevant, these matters are considered as part of a broader specialist assessment. They are integrated with clinical, addiction, psychosocial, risk, and rehabilitation information.
This means cultural context is not treated as an add-on. It is considered relevant to formulation, treatment planning, risk reduction, whānau reconnection, and long-term change.
Treatment Pathway Support
A report is only useful if it helps identify a realistic next step.
Where appropriate and with consent, Tū Mana can assist with treatment pathway planning. This may include identifying suitable residential or community-based services, supporting referral documentation, liaising with providers, clarifying admission requirements, and providing counsel with updated information when a treatment option becomes available.
This is particularly important where sentencing, EM bail, residential rehabilitation, or release planning depends on treatment availability, suitability, and timing.