§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what alternative therapeutic environments are available to treat women who are sent to prison who are mentally ill. [172610]
§ Dr. LadymanSpecialist services for people with mental health problems who come into contact with the criminal justice system are provided by multidisciplinary teams working in in-patient settings and in the community. The Department supports a range of police and court diversion and liaison schemes that enable the early diversion of such people to specialist mental health services. The courts have a number of psychiatric disposals available to them, ranging from a hospital order requiring detention in a psychiatric hospital to probation order with a condition requiring an offender to have psychiatric treatment. In addition, women prisoners assessed as needing in-patient treatment for mental disorder may be transferred to hospital.