§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many and what proportion of prisoners are suffering from a psychotic illness; [35405]
(2) what proportion of prisoners developed (a) a mental health problem and (b) a psychotic illness while in custody in the last 12 months; [35406]
(3) how many and what proportion of prisoners are known to have a mental health problem. [35407]
§ Beverley HughesA survey of mental ill health in the prison population of England and Wales, undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed that some 10 per cent. of remanded men, 7 per cent. of sentenced men and 14 per cent. of all women prisoners had suffered from a functional psychosis in the past year. Applying these rates to the current population would indicate that, on any one day, there would be around 5,300 prisoners in custody who would have suffered from symptoms of a functional psychosis in the previous year.
The ONS survey also reported that only one in 10 prisoners or fewer showed no evidence of any of the five disorders considered in the survey (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse, and drug 627W dependence). That would indicate that, at any one time, upwards of 60,000 prisoners would have a mental health problem of some kind.
The information currently available from research studies does not allow us to form an assessment of the proportion of prisoners who may have developed a mental health problem or psychotic illness while in custody.