Mental health care in custody is slammed

The lack of suitable treatment for young offenders with mental health problems is putting “incredible” pressure on prison staff, a campaigner has claimed.

Prison Reform Trust director Juliet Lyon told delegates that stress among prison staff was “extremely high” because prisons were forced to take young people who needed specialist treatment and care that could not be provided in mainstream custody.

“Why do we put our least healthy young people in our least healthy institutions? The levels of supervision and management [in prisons] are woeful compared with other children’s services.”

She said that one in 10 young people in custody were believed to be suffering from a serious psychotic illness.