£5 million scheme offers too little too late
Whilst welcoming Justice Secretary Ken Clarke’s £5 million plan to divert mentally ill offenders from prison mental health campaigners say the money would be better spent on diverting them from offending rather than waiting for them to be convicted.
“It’s like providing sticking plasters for everyone who trips on an uneven step. Better surely to deal with the uneven step and solve the problem once and for all,” said Robert Ashton, author of I Know Somebody Like That and mental health campaigner.
“The Government estimate that 12% of prisoners have mental health problems is a massive under-evaluation of the size of the problem. You just have to walk round a prison, as I have many times, to see that tragically, many of those locked up have mental health problems.
“The real challenge is to make sure that it is easier for people to access help, and remove the stigma of searching for help, before they offend in the first place.
“Removing the stigma of mental health problems in the UK will also make it easier for sufferers to find employment and the society engagement that can make a significant contribution to improving their condition,” said Mr Ashton.
Ken Clarke and Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced their scheme to create 100 ‘diversion sites’ across England and Wales this week at a Westminster reception with the Women's Institute and the Prison Reform Trust.
Mr Clarke’s Green Paper ‘Breaking the Cycle’ outlines the creation of a national liaison and diversion service by 2014. He recognises that the prison service is not the best situation to deal with less serious offenders whose offences relate to mental health issues.
The Justice Ministry is currently struggling to implement a 23% spending cut and yesterday announced the privatisation of three of Britain’s prisons: a decision which may lead to prison staff breaking their moratorium on strike action.
“It’s no surprise that Ken Clarke is seeking to divert offenders away from prison into the care of the NHS. You only have to visit a prison to realise just how many of those inside have poor mental health,” said Mr Ashton.
“Imprisonment can lead to a totally unacceptable level of suicide. The more society continues to stigmatise poor mental health the more people will conceal their illness until it’s too late. None of us can ignore the important role we have to play because, as Stephen Fry wrote in his forward to my recent book on stigma, ‘we all know someone like that.”
“Big Society makes this everyone’s responsibility. So what shall we do?” asked Mr Ashton.
Robert Ashton donates half of the proceeds of I Know Someone Like That to the‘Time to Change – let’s end mental health discrimination’ campaign.
In his forward the actor Stephen Fry wrote: “A magnificent counterblast to the stigma and prejudice, ignorance and fear that afflicts the realm of mental health in this country, I Know Someone Like That is a clear, readable and immensely touching account of how real people cope in the real world. I recommend this to everyone, for as the title suggests, we all know someone ...”
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