According to a report published last week by the NPM, an independent organisation which inspects places where people are detained, people with a learning disability and autistic people are sometimes being detained in hospitals for lengthy periods beyond the point of therapeutic benefit. It also warns of an ‘acute and worsening’ mental health crisis in prisons, where overcrowding means prisoners are held in cramped, dilapidated facilities with little privacy.
It highlights the number of people being detained for immigration purposes has risen, and there is no statutory time limit on detention for this purpose in the UK. It points out some individuals are detained for more than a year, and that indefinite detention has serious consequences, contributing to depression, self-harm and increased violence.
Sherry Ralph, chair of UK NPM, said: ‘These are not new concerns. They are the same patterns of systemic failure identified over more than a decade. This must stop.
‘Domestically, the UK NPM’s collective voice has influenced key legislative consultations and inquiries across all four nations of the UK, providing evidence-based recommendations on mental health law reform, equality strategies, and children’s justice and sentencing. We will send the report to government ministers and committees and seek further assurances that necessary changes will be made.’
Law Society president Mark Evans said: ‘We urge the government to address the concerns raised in this report and ensure that everyone is able to access their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
‘The Law Society has been lobbying on the Mental Health Bill, which protects people with learning disabilities or autistic people from being detained inappropriately. This protection must be extended to all types of hospital detention.
‘Prison lawyers play a crucial role in supporting those in terrible conditions in prison, but their numbers have been dwindling alarmingly. The government has finally announced that prison law legal aid fees will increase. This is a step in the right direction but annual reviews of fees and cost-of-living increases are needed to stabilise the future of the profession.’
