Prison 'no good' for mentally-ill

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Offenders with mental health problems should serve their sentences in the community rather than in prison, a report has recommended.

In a review commissioned by the Justice Secretary, Lord Bradley said community-based punishments would help treat such criminals and save the taxpayer money.

Such an approach would make "significant cost savings", he added.

Justice minister David Hanson said supported the call to "divert" those with mental health issues from jail.

'Criminal justice maze'

The review makes 80 recommendations about improving the criminal justice system, such as providing better training for staff to help them deal with mental health issues.

It also recommends that the NHS should assume control of health services in police custody suites.

Community programmes for mentally-ill offenders would have "significant qualitative benefits", Lord Bradley said.

The report also calls for "vulnerable" defendants to receive support to reduce "stress" in court and help them understand proceedings.

Mental illness is not a crime and people who break the law because of it should not be in prison Paul JenkinsRethink

Only witnesses and victims are eligible for such assistance at present.

But Lord Bradley said it appeared "equally important in terms of exercising justice that similar support be given" to defendants so that they could "give their best evidence".

The review was commissioned by Justice Secretary Jack Straw in December 2007.

Mr Hanson said the government would follow the direction mapped out by Lord Bradley.

"He has recognised the considerable progress already made in reforming health services for offenders," Mr Hanson added.

Liberal Democrat justice spokesman David Howarth said he agreed that too many people with mental health problems were being jailed, but questioned whether the government would act on the report's recommendations.

"The problem is that Jack Straw cannot resist playing to the gallery," Mr Howarth said.

"It is a disgrace that he has presided over a huge increase in the imprisonment of the mentally ill and that he still boasts about increasing the prison population still further."

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, welcomed Lord Bradley's proposals, which she said would chart the way for many vulnerable people out of the "the criminal justice maze".

She added: "If we can end the buck-passing between the NHS and the justice system, then the pay-off is that we can cut crime, reduce police and court workloads and free up prison places for people who really should be there.

"The clear and present danger to these reforms is that they will be knocked off course by departmental turf wars or the money won't be found because it's being sunk into building more prisons."

Paul Jenkins, chief executive of the mental health charity Rethink, said there were around 8,000 people with severe mental illnesses in jail who should not be there.

He added: "Mental illness is not a crime and people who break the law because of it should not be in prison."