§ 12. Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will hold consultations with the Department of Health over the distribution and treatment of psychopathic and mentally disturbed prisoners now serving sentences; and if he will make a statement about the efforts being made to deal with this problem.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThere is close liaison with the Department of Health and Social Security on this question. Plans are in hand to improve the treatment facilities for prisoners not admitted to a hospital. These include the provision at Parkhurst prison of a unit for psychopathic and other disturbed prisoners.
§ Mr. SmithIs the hon. Gentleman aware that such abnormal men create 1529 enormous difficulties for prison administrators? While I welcome what the hon. Gentleman said, may I ask whether he thinks that more effective steps should be taken to segregate them from more normal prisoners?
§ Mr. ReesUnder Section 72 of the Mental Health Act, 1959, on medical advice, my right hon. Friend may direct the transfer to hospital of an offender serving a sentence. But psychiatric illness is not as simple of definition as might be thought at first sight.
§ Mr. SnowDoes my hon. Friend feel that his Department is inhibited in any way, for reasons of liberty of the subject, in ensuring that police stations in the vicinity of the place where a psychopath's family normally lives receive details of that psychopath's problems and movements?
§ Mr. ReesThat is a different matter. If my hon. Friend has a particular case in mind, it would be better if we could look at it. because it raises wider issues than freedom of the individual.
§ Mr. DeedesIs the hon. Gentleman aware how deeply anxious some of these mental health hospitals are about the duties imposed on them, and to deal with which they feel they have wholly inadequate facilities?
§ Mr. ReesThere are problems in this sphere. However, I think that we are getting the right balance in an area of medical development which is growing the whole time.