BMJ  2007;334:1351 (30 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39258.706157.3A

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Protecting vulnerable populations

A recent BMJ article on the treatment of mentally disordered offenders triggered a range of responses, writes Birte Twisselmann

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Becky Sales and Nigel MacKenzie propose that the new Mental Health Bill be amended and a time limit imposed for transfer of mentally ill offenders from prison to hospital to guarantee equivalence of care and basic human rights (BMJ 2007;334:1222, doi:10.1136/bmj.39237.692975.94). They also propose that the bill should contain statutory obligations to ensure that patients who are judged as needing hospital treatment while in police custody or in the court system cannot be sent to prison. Prison capacity is not great enough, and, at the same time, more prisoners are awaiting hospital beds.

Andrew Fraser, director of health and care in the Scottish Prison Service, and his colleagues point out that all mentally ill offenders in Scotland have to be transferred to hospital because of a lack of inpatient prison facilities. However, the prison population is bigger in England and the number of psychiatric beds is greater . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Time to act on behalf of mentally disordered offenders

Becky Sales and Nigel McKenzie
BMJ 2007 334: 1222. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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