Too many people with mental health problems are ending up in prison when what they need is specialist care, a Prisons Inspectorate report suggests.
Despite the ongoing concern about overcrowding, prison had become the "default" option for many who posed little public risk, it said.

Once inside, inadequate screening on arrival coupled with poor communication between agencies made matters worse.

The report argued that to tackle the problem, a true alternative was vital.

Public protection

Many prisoners with mental health disorders did need to be in prison, said Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers, but institutions were currently unable to provide them with the care they needed.

The professional healthcare they required was simply not forthcoming, while overcrowding meant that support from staff was often unavailable.

The report added that resources should not be used up on people who should not be in prison in the first place.

"Prisons can provide better and more focused care for those who need to be there," said Ms Owers.

"But they will only do so effectively if there is sufficient alternative provision for those who should not be there, and effective community support for those who leave prison."

Any alternative, the report stressed, would have to ensure the public was protected at the same time as the patient's needs were met.

In a high-profile court case this week, a paranoid schizophrenic was detained indefinitely after stabbing to death a mental health charity worker.

He had been receiving voluntary psychiatric treatment since being convicted of causing grievous bodily harm after attacking his parents with a hammer in 1994.

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Simon
Viewpoint Webteam

SOURCE: BBC News Online