The government has said will begin a review of prison mental health in the spring, in its response to a Justice Committee report, Mental Health in Prisons
The MPs’ report, published in September 2021, warned of a mental health crisis in prisons which would continue unless there was ‘root and branch reform’. Responding this week, the government said NHS England and NHS Improvement had commissioned the Centre for Mental Health to conduct a National Mental Health Needs Analysis, due this year, which would provide a ‘good understanding of how current provision meets the mental health needs of people in prison’.
Findings from this, and an earlier review, would inform a further NHS review of prison mental health, due to begin in April, ensuring ‘any gaps in service can be identified and meaningfully tackled’.
