Mental health support for prisoners: Your rights and how to get help

Mental health care in prison

This is for prisoners in England, who are 18 or over. It has information about options for support for your mental health in prison. Having poor mental health can be a normal part of life, and it’s good to reach out for support. This has been produced with the help of people with experience of prison.

You can download a printable, PDF version of this information by using the link below.

Download Mental health care in prison factsheet

Frequently asked Q's

When you first get to prison a healthcare professional should see you. This is to find out your health needs. They should ask you about:
- Your mental health
- Your physical health
- Alcohol and drug use
- If you self-harm, or think you might
- If you have suicidal thoughts
- Medication you take
- Any support you were getting in the community.
The healthcare professional should:
- tell you how to get help for your mental and physical health, and
- get you quick help, if you need it.
Within 7 days of getting to prison you should have a more detailed health check. You might have mental or physical health needs. You should be sent to see a GP, or for other help.
The people below give help for your mental health. If you want to get any of this help, ask a prison officer or healthcare staff.
- Listeners. They are prisoners you can talk to about how you are feeling. They are trained to do this by the Samaritans.
- The Samaritans. You can call them for free on 116 123. They are available 24 hours every day. You can talk to a trained listener about how you are feeling. The Samaritans sometimes visit prisons if there is no Listener scheme.
- Doctor or nurse. You can see a doctor or nurse if you need help for your mental or physical health. They might refer you to a specialist mental health team.
- Specialist mental health teams. These teams are sometimes known as in-reach teams. They support you if your mental health symptoms are more severe. They include professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and specialist nurses. You might be able to get talking therapy, like counselling.
- Support if you are at risk of self-harm or suicide: Your prison should have a Safer custody team (SCT). They can also be called the Safety team or Safer prisons team. They try to keep vulnerable prisoners safe. The team can make a plan to keep you safe. See 'What if I am at risk of suicide or self harm?' below for more information.
Your prison should have a health care for your physical health. Like doctors, nurses, dentists, and opticians.
Your prison will have a safer custody team (SCT). The team should support you if they think you are at risk of:
- harm to yourself,
- harming others, or
- harm from others.
The ACCT process

To keep you safe the SCT team use the ACCT process. This stands for assessment, care in custody, and teamwork.

A staff member might be worried about you because of your words, behaviour, or concerns from others.

Within a day, someone will talk to you about how you feel, what upsets you, and what helps you.

A Case Coordinator, and other staff, will meet with you to make a support plan.

You will have regular meetings to check:
- how you are doing, and
- to decide what support you need to keep safe.
Your prison should have a service that can help you with alcohol or drug issues.

They should work with the mental health and medical teams to give you the best care and treatment.

The care that you get in prison should be the same as if you were in the community. This includes having a care plan for your needs.

Ask a prison officer or healthcare staff if you want help.
- If you have care and support needs in prison, you should get help from social services.
- Care and support needs are things like help with washing, dressing, or moving around.
- Social care in prison works like it does in the community. But it is adapted to the prison setting.
- Social services local to the prison can assess you, to find out your needs.
- You might have had social care in the community or another prison. Social services local to the prison should continue this, if you still need it.
- If you have care and support needs, tell a prison officer or healthcare staff.
Your prison will have a service to help you stop smoking.

To help you stop smoking you can be offered things like:
- nicotine replacement therapy in the form of medication, patches or chewing gum, and
- a referral to a stop smoking service, which can give you advice and support.
Speak to someone

Try to speak to someone in healthcare. They may be able to arrange support for you. Or signpost you to someone else who can help.

You might be able to get help from an advocate. They can help you to sort your issue.

Some advocacy services help people in prison. Advocates are independent people who can help you to get your voice heard. Ask staff about advocacy.

Complain

If you still have problems, you can make a complaint. You can do this by completing a complaint form, called a ‘COMP1’ form.

There might be a locked complaints box on your wing for you to put the complaint form.
You might find our following advice and information useful:
We know that prisoners do not usually have access to the internet. But we have included the website addresses below. They might be of use to your loved ones or prison staff who are supporting you.
- Prisoners’ Advice Service. Free advice and information for prisoners about their rights. Call 020 7253 3323. Write to: Prisoners’ Advice Service, PO Box 46199, London, EC1M 4XA. Email: advice@prisonersadvice.org.uk Website: www.prisonersadvice.org.uk
- Prisoners’ Families Helpline. Advice information and support for family members of prisoners. Call 0808 808 2003. Website: www.prisonersfamilies.org
- Prison Phoenix Trust. Encourage prisoners in their spiritual lives through meditation and yoga. Call 01865 512 521. Address: The Prison Phoenix Trust, PO Box 328, Oxford, OX2 7HF. Website: www.theppt.org.uk
- Prison Reform Trust. They run a helpline that advises prisoners. Call. 0808 802 0060. Address: Prison Reform Trust, FREEPOST ND 6125, London, EC1B 1PN. Email: advice@prisonreformtrust.org.uk. Website: www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk