Staffing problems leave mentally ill prisoners ‘caged’

PLANS to treble the number of mentally ill prisoners treated in the Central Mental Hospital have been held up because of staffing problems.

Penal reformers said the plan to recruit 60 extra staff in the hospital “won’t happen” as the system in Ireland “cages”, rather than treats, mentally ill prisoners.

An agreement between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health, completed in May 2003, planned to:

Increase prisoner transfers from 100 to 300 a year.

Create 30 more beds, using existing vacant beds.

Recruit 60 extra staff.

Spend €6 million over two years.

“A staffing issue is delaying the implementation of the agreement,” said a Department of Justice spokeswoman.

The Inspector of Mental Hospitals highlighted the delay in his annual report.

A spokesman for the Prison Service said they had progressed the matter as far as they could. “After that, the matter is for the Department of Health in terms of staffing and funding.”

He said the Prison Service had no other option put to place prisoners with a serious mental illness in padded cells.

“We can only keep prisoners in a padded cell for so long. After that they need to go to the CMH (Central Mental Hospital). Prison isn’t the place to deal with them.

“It can take some time to move them to the CMH.”

Psychologist Ed Boyne, chairman of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), said:

“Most people with mental illness come out in a worse condition than when they went in. We basically cage people in this country. We have a containment system rather than a rehabilitative system.”

He said the new agreement won’t happen. “They’ve been saying this kind of thing on and off for a long time. It’s a dream to think they’ll recruit 60 staff for this.”

He said many of the vacant beds were not suitable for an animal.

Mr Boyne said mentally ill prisoners were being stuck in a padded cell for a week, sometimes longer.

“Astronauts are not able to withstand more than 78 hours. Prisoners in need of treatment tend to get heavily medicated.”

He said they estimated around 40% of prisoners had some type of mental illness. The Prison Service say it’s around 10-11%.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said additional funding of 1m capital and 1m revenue was allocated to the CMH in 2004 to commence implementation of the agreement.

“The East Coast Area Health Board (ECAHB) has commenced the staff recruitment and the refurbishment required,” she said.

A spokesman for the ECAHB said the necessary refurbishment work was being carried out to provide for an additional admissions unit.

There are 75 beds in the CMH, around 29 of which are prison transfers.