§ 30. Dr. Strossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will institute procedure whereby every prisoner on entering prison will be fully examined in order to ascertain his full case history and to assess his personality in order that planned treatment will be available.
§ Mr. SimonSuch procedure already exists, and for prisoners sentenced to corrective training or preventive detention is carried out at an allocation centre with a specialised staff. For those sentenced to imprisonment it is not possible, pending the establishment of remand and observation centres, to carry our personality assessment on an equally satisfactory basis, but my right hon. Friend fully appreciates the importance of this question and will keep the possibility of im- 528 proving techniques under constant review.
§ Dr. StrossI thank the hon. and learned Gentleman very much.
§ 31. Dr. Strossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what classification is made of newly arrived prisoners in order to ascertain whether they are in need of psychological treatment.
§ Mr. SimonAll prisoners are medically examined on reception. Where the nature of the offence or other considerations suggest the need for special mental examination, the medical officer will make such an examination and, where there is a psychologist in post, he will also have a psychological report.
§ Dr. StrossIs it not a fact that, if we are to take a modern and rational view about the treatment of prisoners irrespective of how they have been classified outside prison, we shall need more psychologists than we have at present? Has the hon. and learned Gentleman that point in mind?