Psychiatric units ‘can’t deal with mentally ill offenders’

PSYCHIATRIC services can’t deal with criminal offenders suffering from mental illness because of a lack of funding and staff, experts warned yesterday.

The Irish College of Psychiatrists (ICP) wants the Government to provide more money to improve access to services for such offenders before the Criminal Justice (Insanity) Bill becomes law.

One of the ICP’s main concerns is the bill’s reference to “designated centres” where mentally ill offenders can be sent for treatment. However, it does not indicate where these centres will be.

“The situation is that general adult psychiatry units, which are presently placed mostly in acute hospitals and have an open ward policy, would not be in a position to cater for the whole range of violent and non-violent offenders with psychiatric illnesses,” ICP chairperson Dr Colette Halpin said.

The ICP said it was essential a network of regional secure units be established to facilitate this group of patients.

Distinction should also be made between designated centres for violent and non-violent offenders, it said.

In a letter to Justice Minister Michael McDowell, the ICP said the bill needed to provide for considerable investment in infrastructure and professional expertise to deal with this category of prisoner.

This is likely to place them on a collision course with the Government, which has claimed in a memo explaining the bill that it will not require significant funding or extra staffing.

The ICP has tabled a series of amendments to the legislation, including a request that treating consultants in the designated centres be pivotal in deciding whether or not to admit the prisoner/patient.

It also wants the national forensic psychiatric service to be expanded and the definition of a mental disorder to be synonymous with that in the Mental Health Act 2001.

The ICP is seeking a meeting with Mr McDowell to discuss its concerns and proposed amendments.