Record numbers in custody are cause for grave concern, says Sainsbury Centre

17 March 2008

Too many people with mental health problems are being incarcerated in Britain, the Sainsbury Centre warned today.

Responding to figures showing that over 108,000 people are in custody at any one time in the UK, Sainsbury Centre chief executive Angela Greatley said: "The vast majority of the people who get locked up in Britain have some kind of mental distress, from severe mental illness to depression or anxiety. Many more have drug or alcohol problems. Few are helped by being kept in custody and many get worse as a result.

"Use of prison and of the Mental Health Act continue to rise. Custodial sentences are getting longer. More people are being put on indeterminate sentences or are being imprisoned and then transferred to hospital under section.

"All too often being in custody causes people to lose contact with their families, to lose their jobs and in some cases to lose their homes. Many women lose their children after even a short stay in prison.

"We need to invest urgently in reliable alternatives to custody for people with all kinds of mental health problems. Much greater use should be made of community orders linked to better quality mental health care for offenders.

"And use of the Mental Health Act should be a last resort, when all else has failed. With extra powers to detain people coming later this year, we must ensure these too do not lead more people to be held in hospitals when they could and should be at home."