Inside Styal Women's prison, Cheshire
TOO many vulnerable and mentally unwell women have been sent to jail due to a lack of suitable services in the community, prison inspectors have found.
A new HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Styal, published today, found that 39 women had been sent to the prison due to their “acute vulnerabilities and the absence of specialised support in the community.”
The need for mental healthcare was evidenced by the fact that 30 women were referred to transfer to hospital under the Mental Health Act, although they faced long delays with one patient waiting more than 100 days.
The announcement of a Women’s Justice Board should be cautiously welcomed, writes SABINA PRICE, but we need to see a recognition that our prison system is in crisis and disproportionately punishes some of the most vulnerable people in society
AN “alarming” ingress of drugs at a prison led to the most inmate deaths in Wales and England last year, inspectors reveal today.
