Prisons ‘cannot cope’ with mentally ill

PRISONS cannot deal with a huge rise in the number of people with mental illnesses being sent to jail, a conference heard yesterday.

The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) conference was told that the problem had arisen because of the closure of psychiatric institutions and the failure to set up community facilities for former patients.

In a motion, the Cork Prison branch said: “Since the decrease in the availability of psychiatric beds and hospitals for those suffering from mental health disorders, there has been a substantial increase in the same people being committed to prison.” The motion said prisons “should not be used as an alternative to community or hospital care for housing of people suffering from mental health problems”. Cork delegate Colm Cronin said the prison system did not provide the facilities for “24-hour watch” for inmates with mental health issues. Other delegates said it was an issue across most prisons.