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Psychotic Men Remanded in Custody to Brixton Prison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Graham Robertson*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Susanne Dell
Affiliation:
Institute of Criminology, Cambridge
Katie James
Affiliation:
Institute of Criminology, Cambridge
Adrian Grounds
Affiliation:
Institute of Criminology, Cambridge
*
Correspondence

Abstract

All referrals to medical officers in Brixton Prison over a five-month period in 1989 were examined. This paper reports the progress through this remand prison of those men who were considered to be suffering from a major psychiatric disorder. Many men had been charged with relatively minor offences. The net effect of medical intervention was to delay release from custody. Because of the administrative delays inherent in the system of medical referral and hospital admission under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, it was those prisoners who were most ill who tended to remain in prison for the longest periods. Judged in terms of its efficiency to ensure speedy treatment for mentally ill remanded offenders, the present system is regarded as cumbersome and extremely inefficient. It is suggested that greater use should be made of section 48 of the 1983 Act to divert mentally ill, remanded offenders from prison.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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References

Department of Health and Home Office (1992) Review of Health and Social Services for Mentally Disordered Offenders and Others Requiring Similar Services. Cm 2088. London HMSO.Google Scholar
Exworthy, T., Parrot, J. & Bridges, P. K. (1992) Section 48: an underused provision? Psychiatric Bulletin, 12, 9798.Google Scholar
Home Office (1990a) HMP Brixton: Report by HM Inspector of Prisons. London: Home Office.Google Scholar
Home Office (1990b) Provision for Mentally Disordered Offenders. Home Office Circular No 66/90. London: Home Office.Google Scholar
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