More than 10% of new male prisoners suffer from a psychiatric disorder

MENTAL health experts have called for the reform and expansion of prison psychiatric services after it emerged that more than one in 10 new male inmates have a psychiatric disorder and one in 20 are in need of transfer to psychiatric hospital.

Findings from a survey on the prevalence of serious mental health concerns in prisoners, published yesterday during the seventh national disability research conference, have revealed that a significant number of new male inmates are suffering from a series of service psychological concerns.

According to the research team, led by the Central Mental Hospital’s clinical director Prof Harry Kennedy, out of 615 new prisoners assessed in the last 12 months 2.8% were suffering from a “psychotic illness”.