We have a dysfunctional prison system. Jails are being used as a dumping ground for mentally ill people. It is a scandal that has been complained about for years by prison chaplains and others.
But, in the race to appear tougher than their opponents on crime, successive governments have ignored it. They have failed to invest in psychiatric services. And judges have continued to take the easy option of locking sick people away.
Research has now established the seriousness of the situation. The rate of severe mental illness among prisoners on remand in Irish jails is almost 40 times higher than within the general community. And this incarceration rate is double that experienced in other countries. These figures provide compelling evidence that something is badly wrong with the way mentally-ill people are processed by our criminal justice system. It needs to change.
A dispute concerning excessive overtime pay in prisons stopped institutional reform in its tracks five years ago. Now that it has been resolved, however, efforts are being concentrated on expanding prison places rather than on improving remedial services and providing alternatives to prison. Minister for Justice Michael McDowell unveiled a €4 million programme last week for the provision of padded cells in 10 prisons. And there was a cavalier acceptance that mentally-ill people are more likely than other citizens to end up in jail.
This is a shameful situation. Mr McDowell appears genuinely interested in improving conditions in prison. He spoke in the past about overtime pay "cannibalising funds for building, refurbishment and the improvement of services generally". But the Minister must reject an official mindset that sees imprisonment as an answer, rather than as part of an on-going social problem.
The clinical director of the Central Mental Hospital, Harry Kennedy, says prisons are "a toxic place" for people with mental illness. Many are sent to jail for minor offences, arising directly from their psychosis. And, he believes, it is "fundamentally unfair" that people with devastating mental illness should end up there.
We all have a responsibility to encourage change in official policy. Vulnerable, inadequate and mentally ill citizens should be given an opportunity to reshape their lives. Locking people away solves nothing if steps are not taken to modify their behaviour through education, remedial treatment and psychiatric care.
Government departments and other agencies must provide training, sheltered housing, support and temporary financial assistance. And judges should be encouraged to make greater use of community care systems and restorative justice.
