Unfitness to Plead Consultation Responses - Law Commission ...

per 100,000 in the general population.[ This means that the risk of suicide is more than
10 times higher for a prisoner than for the general population.
Psychosis among prisoners
In an ONS survey, a random sample of one in five prisoners interviewed previously were
selected for an additional interview by a clinician to assess personality disorder and
functional psychoses, such as schizophrenia and manic depression (but not organic
psychoses such as dementia). In this follow-up interview, 14 per cent of all the women,
10 per cent of the men on remand and 7 per cent of the sentenced men were assessed
as having a functional psychosis, in the year prior to interview. These rates for psychosis
are much higher than for the general population, where the figure is only 0.4 per cent.
Mental health in-reach teams (MHIRT) confirms high rates of psychosis among
prisoners. A survey of clinical records of prisoners treated by the MHIRTs showed that
18 per cent had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and another 18 per cent had a diagnosis of
psychosis.
Personality disorders among prisoners
ONS suggests that over three quarters of the men on remand, nearly two thirds of the
males sentenced, and half of the women sentenced fitted a diagnosis of personality
disorder. Another survey shows that, among prisoners treated by MHIRT, around 17 per
cent have a diagnosis of personality disorder, usually in combination with another
diagnosis.
Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)
The most common type of personality disorder seen in prisons, according to the ONS, is
antisocial. This has been found in 63 per cent of males on remand, 49 per cent of males
sentenced and 31 per cent of all female prisoners. This would be expected, since the
category of ASPD requires the presence of antisocial behaviour before the age of 15
years and persisting into adulthood. Criminal behaviour is often seen as antisocial, so
many prisoners are therefore likely to be diagnosed with this disorder. The figures are
broadly in line with the results of studies carried out within the United States prison
system.
Paranoid and borderline personality disorders
Paranoid and borderline personality disorders are the next most common types of
disorder seen in prison, according to ONS. A total of 29 per cent of male remand, 20 per
cent of male sentenced and 16 per cent of female prisoners were assessed as having
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