Prison service policy on seclusion has changed

EDITOR—On 30 March 2000 the prison service issued instruction 27/2000, which announced the immediate elimination of the use of strip cells in the management of prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self injury. This long overdue decision on policy may be heavily influenced by the Human Rights Act 1998. Interestingly, the prison service cramps governors' budgets by stating that alterations to create a safer cell have to be met from existing capital resources.

I agree with Reed and Lyne's proposal that the care of mentally ill offenders should be provided within the NHS.1 We in the prison service …