Covid-19 has ‘compounded’ mental health issues for prisoners – charity 

Psychology and addiction services in prisons have been reduced over the past year because of Covid-19 restrictions and infection control measures.

The pandemic has “compounded” mental health issues for prisoners who do not have enough psychological or mental health supports to meet their needs.

That’s according to the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), which called for more resources for closed and open prison settings.

It was commenting following confirmation by Justice Minister Helen McEntee that psychology and addiction services in prisons have been reduced over the past year because of Covid-19 restrictions and infection control measures.

While services have adapted and offered a “blended model” of support using phone and video as well as one-to-one contact where necessary, these services are “constrained”, the minister said.

Figures furnished by the minister show that 12 prison facilities with a capacity for more than 4,300 prisoners had access to the equivalent of five forensic consultant psychiatrists, two registrars, and 11 psychiatric nurses in February this year.

The HSE/National Forensic Mental Health Service is supporting about 250 patients with mental health needs in closed prisons.

Waiting list

The minister also confirmed that more than 1,200 prisoners were on a waiting list to access psychology services and that while individual sessions increased by 13% last year, group sessions fell by 60% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

No figures were given for the number of psychologists available to prisons but IPRT said the number was below the target of one psychologist for every 150 prisoners.

While prison mental health services have improved, IPRT executive director Fíona Ní Chinnéide said there was a much higher prevalence of mental health difficulties, including severe mental illness, in the prison population compared to the general community and that supports must be increased in both settings.

Of concern

The reduction in prison psychology services during the public health crisis is of concern, she said, given that the pandemic “compounds” the mental health impacts on prisoners.

Access to meaningful activities and good family contact, she said, offer “protective” benefits to prisoners but these are significantly restricted during the pandemic.

“It’s a huge concern at a time when men and women in prison are spending very long hours in their cell, with reduced access to schools, workshops, or the gym, and when they have effectively had no in-person family visits for almost a year now,” Ms Ní Chinnéide said.

Some men and women haven’t seen their small children in a year so it is extremely difficult at a time when there is an acknowledgment in the general community that more mental health supports are needed.”

There are also persistent waiting lists of between 20 and 30 men and women waiting to be transferred to the Central Mental Hospital, a lack of services and supports for female prisoners at the Dóchas Centre, and a lack of services and supports for men in open prisons such as Loughan House and Shelton Abbey, she said.

“We understand that a psychologist attends these open prisons one day per month, which is a very low level of support,” Ms Ní Chinnéide
said, adding that prisoners moving from closed prions to an open setting may need additional support.