The shocking treatment of mental illness in UK prisons

A shocking new report shows prisons are still being used as a so-called “place of safety” for people who are mentally unwell – a practice the 2022 Mental Health Bill was supposed to have stopped.

The Prisons Inspectorate found they are being held in prison for an average of 85 days before being transferred to secure hospitals.

The result? Appalling levels of distress for some of the most unwell, and patients, prisoners, nurses and prison staff suffering real harm.

A Government spokesperson has told us:

“Offenders are entitled to access mental health support in prison, where they are also helped to get off drugs and into rehabilitation.

NHS England is investing in post-custody care to help prison leavers access their community-based health services – helping to reduce reoffending, cut crime and protect the public.”

Warning, you may find some of the details upsetting.