Select committee: Justice Committee
Conclusion 17
5th Report - Mental health in prison
Published 29 Sep 2021
Paragraph 61
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee Mental Health in Prison All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Prisoners have shared the anxieties of the general population about possibly becoming ill themselves with covid-19 or their loved ones becoming ill. This has been combined with the most severe restrictions on their daily lives, going beyond those experienced by the general population. For example, family contact was restricted, and in circumstances where enhanced digital access was not available, the restriction on family access would potentially have exacerbated the effect on Mental health in prison 29 prisoners’ mental health. We recognise and understand that the restrictions on prisoners during the period of the pandemic will have saved numerous lives, but, we are concerned about the impact of the pandemic on prisoners’ mental health and how well prepared HMPPS and NHS will be for the increase in the need for mental healthcare services as a result.
From: Justice Committee, 5th Report - Mental health in prison (HC 72), paragraph 61, 29 September 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 4 February 2022 (deadline 29 November 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government "welcomes" the Committee's report and responds to each recommendation, largely by pointing to existing and planned work, while setting out dated commitments on matters such as a 28-day transfer limit, medical records transfer and a Working Group on prison as a place of safety.
- On substance misuse and violence, the MoJ and HMPPS "agree with the Committee" that tackling them is "critical to prisons’ recovery from the pandemic", and cite the Prisons Strategy White Paper and a new 10-year drugs strategy.
- On transfers to mental health hospitals, the Government has committed in the Mental Health Act White Paper to a new statutory 28-day time limit, "to be commenced once the revised NHS England and NHS Improvement guidance has been fully embedded in practice". It will take stock of progress during 2022/23.
- On medical records, it states health records "will be automatically transferred" between community and prison health services, and "expect[s]" completion for the male estate by April 2023 and the female estate by the end of 2023.
- On ending the use of prison as a place of safety and on amending the Bail Act, it sets no 31 March 2022 date. It cites a cross-departmental Working Group, with a "cross-departmental response and agreement of priorities by September 2022", and says it is "currently reviewing" the bail power.