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Prisoners: Mental Health

Answer

Information on suicide watch or special observation as a result of severe mental illness is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Prisons have a broad, integrated and evidence-based suicide prevention strategy. A prisoner focused care planning system for at risk prisoners, called Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork, (ACCT), was introduced across the prison estate between 2005 and 2007 in partnership with the Department of Health. Its key benefits include: a faster first response and assessment; the provision of flexible, individual, accountable care; and a multi disciplinary approach. As part of the ACCT process decisions are taken about how the individual will be managed to reduce the risks that they will harm themselves, including the frequency of conversations and observations. Levels of observation will differ in each case and will change over time. Constant supervision is a temporary arrangement where a prisoner is supervised by a designated member of staff on a one to one basis, remaining within eyesight at all times and within a suitable distance to be able to physically intervene quickly. It is required when it is believed that the prisoner could, at any time. make an attempt to kill themselves. Acute suicidal crisis may be temporary and the case management approach afforded by ACCT provides the opportunity to reduce the level of supervision progressively, substituting alternative supports. as the prisoners' condition improves. While not being able to answer the specific question posed, I can provide information on the numbers of ACCT plans, (and its predecessor), which were opened in each of the past five years.

Measure	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Total Plans opened	34091	29583	31371	28463	29666
Total Individuals	26749	22544	23386	21137	22236

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

250; 706 c120-1WA

Session

2008-09

Subjects

Mental illness Prisoners Suicide

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk