§ The Earl of Longfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners currently serving a sentence or on remand in England and Wales are either: (a) mentally disordered; (b) personality disordered; (c) Class A drug users; (d) alcoholics.
Earl FerrersThe following is the information available:
On 31st March 1990, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 290 inmates in the prison system in England and Wales were reported by prison medical officers to be mentally disordered as defined by the Mental Health Act 1983. Of that number, 245 were considered to be mentally ill, 11 mentally impaired and 34 psychopathic.
In 1989, 1,159 drug addicts were notified to the Home Office by prison medical officers.
The number of alcoholics received into prison is not recorded centrally.