§ Sir Michael SpicerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mentally ill people there are in prison. [26010]
§ Beverley HughesA survey of mental ill health in the prison population of England and Wales, undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics, 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. Some 59 per cent. of remanded men, 76 per cent. of remanded women, 40 per cent. of sentenced men and 63 per cent. of sentenced women had a neurotic disorder.
Applying these rates to the current population would indicate that around 5,300 prisoners would be suffering from a functional psychosis and around 30,000 from a neurotic disorder. Some prisoners will have both conditions.