Mental health teams in prisons are under-staffed and
under-funded, according to a
Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health report which found the “very
high levels of need” of prisoners are not being met.
The study, published today, said that inreach teams in England,
which support prisoners with severe and enduring mental health
problems, received £300 per prisoner on average – about a third of
the resources allocated to community mental health teams.
The average prison inreach team consists of four staff, but the
report said this needed to increase to 12 in order to meet the
needs of all prisoners, an estimated one in 12 of whom have severe
mental health problems.
'Worrying inequalities in care'
Researchers from Lincoln University and SCMH discovered
“worrying inequalities in prison mental health care spending across
England”.
Teams in London, Yorkshire and the North East received double the
amount given to those in the East Midlands and the South West, the
report said.
Sean Duggan, Sainsbury Centre director
of prisons and criminal justice, called for major investment and
national guidelines to end the “postcode lottery”.
He said: “Many inreach teams are struggling to offer a decent
service in the face of inadequate funding and very high levels of
need among prisoners.
“We need to see a major boost in spending on inreach across the
country, especially in those areas that are falling behind.”
Howard League
Responding to the report, Howard League for Penal Reform
director Frances Crook said: “Currently, individuals are being
released from prison with a likelihood their mental health needs
have been exacerbated by their time inside and with an increased
risk of reoffending.”
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