NCJ Number
213729
Date Published
2006
Length
72 pages
Annotation
This report investigates key issues affecting the mental health of women in custody in England and presents recommendations regarding measures that could be effective and supportive when Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) take over the responsibility for the health of women in custody in 2006.
Abstract
The report identifies the two primary issues affecting the mental health of women in custody as: (1) the need for working partnerships within institutions, between government departments, and between statutory and voluntary organizations; and (2) the need for early intervention in a woman’s contact with the criminal justice system. Recommendations to improve data collection and data sharing, cooperation among governmental and non-governmental establishments, and the need to facilitate strategic planning for women’s mental health services, both in and out of custody, are presented for the Department of Health-Prison Health and the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). Recommendations for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) center on the publication of information, strategic planning among related organizations, and the empowerment of Prison Primary Health Care Teams and Inreach Teams. The report, intended for those concerned with the effects and after-effects of custody on the mental health of women, examines factors affecting the mental health of women in custody and recommends improvements to the system that should be implemented when healthcare responsibility is transferred to PCTs in April 2006. It attempts to raise awareness of best practices in hopes of improving mental health care for women in custody. Appendixes I-VII