Money should be ring-fenced to fund psychiatric assessments to
divert prisoners with mental health problems into the health and
social care systems, Nacro
announced today.
In a 10-point plan to solve the current prisons overcrowding
crisis, the rehabilitation agency also called for legislation to
ensure that custody was not considered for young people unless all
alternatives had been exhausted.
Other proposals included removing prison as an option for
low-level offences and requiring the courts to take prison capacity
into account when sentencing.
The call comes after home secretary
John Reid called on courts to impose community sentences on
lower-level offenders to help manage prison numbers, which have
reached breaking point.
The news follows
the resignation of Rod Morgan as chair of the Youth Justice
Board after he was told that his contract would not be
renewed.
Mental health
information
