§ 53. Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population have been diagnosed as being in need of psychiatric treatment; and of these how many are not receiving such treatment.
§ Mr. MellorThe only available figures are the six-monthly returns from medical officers of prisoners whom they assess as suffering from a mental disorder as defined in part III of the Mental Health Act 1983. According to the census carried out on 31 December 1984, there were 282 such prisoners on that date. We are considering the need for research on the psychiatric characteristics of the prison population as a whole, including those who do not come within the terms of the Act. Substantial psychiatric resources are available for the treatment of prisoners who may be broadly described as mentally abnormal; it is for the medical officer concerned to decide what treatment is appropriate in a particular case.