Research & Reports

4WardEverUK

Landmark reform of mental health law is on the cards

Woman in prison cellsource: Gov.UK
published: 13 January 2021

The UK Government says that major reform of the Mental Health Act will empower individuals to have more control over their treatment and deliver on a key manifesto commitment.

People with mental health issues who are detained under the Mental Health Act will benefit from landmark reforms which provide more control over their care and treatment, the government has announced today.

Take part in the Public Consultation (click here)

The government want your views on changes to the Mental Health Act to help put patients at the center of decisions about their own care.

This consultation closes at 11:59pm on 21 April 2021.

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Larry Fedja

Families face shocking injustice over legal aid for inquests, campaigners say

source: Express & Star
published: 1 October 2019

Grieving families are facing a “shocking” injustice when trying to get legal aid funding for the inquest of a loved one who died in state care, campaigners claims.

The ruling by Mr Justice Green enables relatives attending a coroner’s court to benefit from expert legal representation in cases where a state body is involved in a death.

Charities have called for an end to the disparity between the amount of publicly funded legal aid being provided to state bodies and families.

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Tippa Naphtali

INQUEST responds to the latest MOJ Safety in Custody Statistics

Statisticssource: INQUEST
originally published: 26 July 2018

The Ministry of Justice has today (26 July 2018) released the latest statistics on safety, deaths and self-harm in custody. The data shows that levels of self-harm and violence in prison continues to escalate. While the number of overall deaths have reduced since 2016, they are still at historically high levels.

Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST said: 

“These statistics point to the disturbing reality of prison life with escalating levels of distress, self-harm, homicide and violence. The only way to improve safety and reduce prison deaths is to dramatically cut the prison population and invest in community alternatives.

The number of deaths awaiting classification in this period has more than doubled with the majority of people found unresponsive in their cells. The undetermined nature of these deaths raises questions as to whether they are drug related or due to undiagnosed or untreated health conditions.

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