The Government should seriously consider the Justice Committee's call for the NHS to be required under law to provide effective diversion schemes to keep people with mental health problems out of prison, Sainsbury Centre chief executive Angela Greatley said today.
Responding to the report Towards Effective Sentencing, Angela Greatley said: "We strongly support the Justice Committee's view that NHS commissioners 'should not have a choice as to whether or not they fund diversion and liaison schemes with criminal justice agencies'. Community mental health services that offer alternatives to custody should not be optional for the NHS anywhere in the UK.
"We support the Committee's view that sentencers need better guidance about what options they have for defendants who need different levels of mental health support. The mental health treatment requirement that is available with community sentences is especially under-used. Yet it could be an effective form of diversion from custody for many offenders with mental health problems.
"We are pleased that the Committee has called for a review of the facilities that are available for prisoners who need to be transferred to hospital under the Mental Health Act. While not all prisoners with severe mental health problems need to be in hospital, with growing numbers of prisoners on indeterminate sentences, and record numbers detained in secure hospitals, a review is now more important than ever."
Sainsbury Centre submitted written evidence to the Committee including a call for a review of the facilities available for prison-to-hospital transfers.