Irish Penal Reform Trust

4FM: Mental health provision for prisoners

9th March 2010

4FM logoIPRT's Agnieszka Martynowicz today spoke to 4FM's David Harvey about the provision of care for prisoners with severe mental illness in Irish prisons.

The discussion was sparked by an article by Cormac O'Keeffe in the Irish Examiner, which reported on a woman's plea for adequate treatment for her brother who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Agnieszka stated clearly that prison is not an appropriate environment for those with severe mental illness. Those suffering with mental illness should receive adequate treatment within the community - either from community mental health teams or from the hospitals, as appropriate - and adequate risk assessment should be carried out.

She also spoke about the positive interventions that have been introduced in Cloverhill remand prison in terms of the Prison In-Reach Court Liaison Service; supported provisions such as this should be introduced across all Irish prisons.

Agnieszka concluded that o-ordinated support services, both inside and outside of prisons, is imperative to the success of mental health interventions in prisons.  

4FM_Lunchtime with David Harvey_08092010

To listen to the interview, click on the link above.

Listen in to 4FM here.

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