Offender Health

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David Chappel

Introduction

Offenders and ex-offenders generally experience greater health inequalities and social exclusion. As the number of people who come into contact with the Criminal Justice Sector increase, there will be an increasing number of ex-offenders in communities.

Organisations such as the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) aim to help offenders deal with health issues in the following ways:

  • ensure offenders have access to appropriate health services in custody and the community
  • ensure suspects and persons detained by the police under mental health provisions are able to access appropriate health & social care professionals at the appropriate time and in the appropriate place
  • divert offenders with serious mental healthcare needs to appropriate health services
  • improve health service links to other services working with offenders.

Inproving the range and standard of health and social care services for offenders and others in contact with the Criminal Justice System (CJS), both within prisons and in the community contributes to a reduction in re-offending, by addressing those health needs which may be linked to offending behaviour, such as misuse of drugs and alcohol, or poor mental health.

Diversion from custody

There is a real need to divert offenders who have serious mental health problems away from prison and into the appropriate health service facilities. The needs of those suffering from physical health problems and from substance misuse and abuse must also be addressed.

NEPHO are currently developing an offender health work programme. At the present time we work closely with the Prison and Offender Health Research Network in the North East (PORSCH). This includes working with health and social care professionals, police, courts, prison and probation services, and community and voluntary organisations.

We have developed a proposal for an Offender Health Observatory and the outcome of a funding application is awaited.

Highlight figures

  • 90% of prisoners have substance misuse problems, mental health problems or both

  • 80% of prisoners smoke

  • 9% of the UK prisoner population suffer from severe and enduring mental health illness

  • 10% of prisoners have a learning disability

  • 40% of prisoners declare no contact with primary care prior to detention.

  • People who have been in prison are up to 30 times more likely than the general population to die from suicide in the first month after discharge from prison.

  • There is commonly poor continuity of health care information on admission to prison, on movement between prisons and on release.