Vulnerable inmates ‘no access to proper treatment’

VULNERABLE people with mental health problems in Mountjoy Prison are not getting access to full and proper treatment, the latest inspection report from the Mental Health Commission (MHC) has found.

The commission’s 2010 report, published yesterday, said the lack of services available to prisoners was concerning, particularly lack of access to a multidisciplinary clinical team which renders full treatment planning impossible.

It also highlighted that at times, the only resource available to safeguard vulnerable prisoners was to place them in safety observation cells, sometimes for a period of weeks.