Mental health services in prison need to improve further, says Ombudsman

Some improvement has been made in managing the mental health needs of prisoners, but there is still a long way to go, said Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen. Today he published a review on prisoner mental health arising from his investigations into deaths in custody.

Mental ill-health is one of the most prevalent and challenging issues in prisons and is closely associated with high rates of suicide and self-harm in custody. These mental health needs range from mild forms of depression to serious and enduring conditions, such as psychotic illnesses and severe personality disorders, which can be much more difficult to manage. Echoing previous research, the review found that 70% of the prisoners who killed themselves had one or more identified mental health needs.

Download “Learning from PPO investigations: prisoner mental health”.

The full news release is also available here.