IPRT believes that responsibility for the provision of healthcare should be transferred from the IPS to the HSE. In addition to this, IPRT believes that those with mental illness should be diverted away from the criminal justice system and should be treated within a community setting, where possible.
This section includes posts on health in prison, including mental health and drug policy.
8th December 2010
The current facilities available for accommodating prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide in Mountjoy Prison would appear to be grossly inadequate, according to a published report by the Inspectors at the Mental Health Commission.
28th October 2010
Camden and Islington NHS mental health trust have formed a partnership with the London Probation Service aiming to reduce the recidivism rates and recall into prison of offenders with high risk personality disorders upon release into the community.
21st September 2010
The Royal College of Nursing has launched a new publication, 'Prison mental health: vision and reality' developed jointly with the Centre for Mental Health and Nacro, the crime reduction charity.
14th September 2010
One in four female prisoners struggle with borderline personality disorder, yet their needs are going unnoticed in the UK justice system, according to a report published by the Centre for Mental Health.
24th August 2010
(England & Wales) A newly published policy document shows that there is a link between mental illness and offending that cannot be ignored; the paper sets forth a nuanced agenda for policy changes that can tackle this underlying cause of crime.
14th July 2010
A new study has investigated deaths following release from prison among individuals recorded on the National Drug-Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) from 1998 to 2005. The study highlights the need for more intensive prevention measures in the period immediately following release from Irish prisons, including the development of a national overdose prevention strategy.
2nd July 2010
Dara Gantly, writing in the 'Irish Medical Times', highlights the issues of locating mentally ill offenders in Irish prisons, and reports on the successes of the diversion project run by Cloverhill Prison and the Central Mental Hospital (PICLS).
10th June 2010
"With a rapidly-growing prison population, dwindling resources and dangerous, stressful conditions, doctors working in our prisons are firefighting in terms of inmate healthcare," writes Ailbhe Jordan.
24th May 2010
The numbers being processed through the Drug Treatment Court are to be expanded following a review which shows that the scheme has reduced reoffending rates.
16th March 2010
A new report from the Criminal Justice Inspectorate of Northern Ireland follows the treatment of people with mental health problems through the criminal justice system, starting with the police, moving through prosecution and the courts and ending up with prisons and probation.
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.