The document summarizes statistics and issues related to health in UK prisons. It notes that the UK prison population has grown 30% in the last 10 years and is increasingly overcrowded. Many prisoners struggle with mental health issues, substance abuse problems, and learning disabilities/difficulties. These health issues are made worse by the prison environment and lack of adequate support. Upon release, former prisoners face high risks of reoffending, drug overdose, and other health problems without proper treatment and rehabilitation efforts.

1. Healthy Prisons?
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2. Prison Overview – some facts
• On 22 June 2012 , the prison population in England and Wales
was over 85,697.
• During the last 10 years the prison population has grown by
30%
• The average sentence length is 14.7. months.
• In March 2012 there where 41 prisoners serving ” whole life
sentences”
• April 2012, 83 of 134 prisons were overcrowded.
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3. Prison overview continued.
• In 2011, 14% of men & 21% of women in prison were serving
sentences for drug offences.
• During the past 15 years the number of women in prison has
increased by 85%
• In March 2012, there where 7,816 young people 18-20 in
prison , England and Wales.
• People over the age of 60 and over are the fastest growing
age group in the prison estate.
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4. Social Characteristics of Prisoners.
CHARACTERISTIC General population Prison Population
Homeless 0.09% 32%
Suffer from 2 or more
mental disorders
5% Men & 2% of women 72% of male and 70%
female sentenced
prisoners.
Psychotic disorder 0.5% of men and 0.6 of
women
7%of male and 14 of
female sentenced
prisoners
Drug use in the previous
year
13 % of men and 8%
women
65% Male and 55% of
female sentenced
prisoners.
Hazardous Drinking 38% Men & 15th
of Women 63% Male & 39% Female
sentenced prisoners.
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5. Older people in Prison
• June 2011, there were 8,125 prisoners aged 50 and over
in England & Wales.
• March 2011, 42 prison aged 81 and over.
• 40% of men in prison over 50 have been convicted of sex
offenders.
• June 2011, 1,807 people aged 50 and over serving life
sentences.
• Men sentenced over age of 60 has increased
significantly- harsher /longer sentences in relation to sex
offences & drug trafficking.
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6. Older offenders-issues of health care
• “little evidence of multidisciplinary working”
“the social care needs of older and disabled offenders are still considered the
responsibility of the health services only” HM chief Inspector of Prisons
for England and Wales (2008).
The majority of prisons have reported that social services have no
involvement in their prisons.
“Some older prisoners will have a physical health status of 10 years older
than their contemporaries in the wider community” HMCIP (2008).
Services for older people is prison do not meet those that would be available
for the elderly in the community. Prison Reform Trust (2008)
Some older people entering prison had their medication that they were
receiving in the community stopped. Prison Reform Trust ( 2008).
More than half of all elderly prisoners suffer from a mental disorder. HMCIP
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7. The hard facts
Lack of staff training in identifying signs of mental
health problems amongst the elderly. HMCIP (2008).
2010, 84 People aged over 50 died of natural causes.
MOJ (2011)
2010 HMCIP “not all prisons have policies that reflect
the needs of older prisoners”
There is a lack of specific age related assessments or
arrangements within the majority of UK prisons.
Cooney et al (2010)
There is a lack of palliative care facilities for the
terminally ill PRT (2008)
Age is a protected characteristic under the equality
Act . However there is no official guidance to staff
about working with older people in their care. PRT
(2012)
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8. Prisoners with learning disabilities and difficulties
• 20-30% offenders have LD that interfere with their ability to
cope with criminal justice system. Talbot .J (2008)
• Dyslexia 3-4 more common amongst prisoners than in the
general population. Rack, J (2005)
• Most youth offending teams do not use screening or
assessment tools to identify children with LD , communication
difficulties, ADHD, or Autistic spectrum disorders.
Talbot(2010).
• Prisoners with LD are unable to access prison information
routinely , over 2/3 have difficulty reading information,
understanding procedures and making themselves
understood. Q. What problems do you think such prisoners
would have ??
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9. LD . Challenges within prison?
• Miss out on family visits
• Going to the gym
• Ordering the wrong food
• Unable to participate in
educational classes, that address
offending behaviour.
• Offending behaviour programmes
not accessible to those with an IQ
below 80%
• Serve longer sentences than those
without LD for comparable crimes.
• More likely to suffer depression
/anxiety/ subject to control &
restraint.
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10. Mental Health
• 10% of men & 30% women have had a previous psychiatric
admission before going into prison. DH (2009)
• Neurotic and personality disorders are particularly prevalent .
Stewart D.(2008)
• At any one time 10% of prisoners have a serious mental
health problem. Spurr (2006)
• 2009-2010, over 1,200 prisoners transferred to NHS secure
services.
• Q. how do you think prison may affect those with mental
health issues?
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11. Mental Health
• Develop eating disorders.
• Exhibit signs of depression.
• Post traumatic stress
disorder.
• Episodes of self harm
• Repeated self harm –
especially amongst women.
• Suicide.
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12. Drugs
• March 2012. 14% men & 18% Women were serving
sentences for drug offences.
• Between a third and a half of new receptions into
prisons are estimated to be problem drug users. MOJ
(2010).
• 70% of women require clinical detoxification. MOJ
(2012)
• Many prisoners have never received help with their
drug problems. Social exclusion unit (2002)
• Drug use amongst prisoners in custody reported to
be high. Singleton et al (2005)
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13. Impact of drug use in custody
• Risk of infection.
• Transfer between prisons may hinder drug treatment
programmes.
• Drug use upon release from prison is very high. Social
exclusion unit. (2002).
• Risk of drug related death post release , 1-2 weeks.
• Offenders receiving residential drug treatment are 45% less
likely to reoffend after release compared to those receiving a
prison sentence. Matrix knowledge Group (2007)
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14. Alcohol
• 22% of prisoners surveyed, reported having an alcohol problem when
they entered prison. Viner et al (2007)
• 54% of surveyed prisoners reported coexistent problems of alcohol, drug,
or mental health problems. HMCIP (2010).
• 44% young adults within the system have admitted to binge drinking .
• Children you have begun binge drinking by the age of 16 are 90% more
likely to have criminal convictions by the age of 30. Viner (2007)
• 44% of violent crimes the victim believed that the offender was under the
influence of alcohol.
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15. Reference list.
• The Prison Reform Trust . (2012) Bromley briefings Prison Fact file.
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