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The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD, Minister of State with Responsibility for Mental Health and Older people Mary Butler TD and Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, have announced the establishment of a new High Level Taskforce to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of people interacting with the criminal justice system, following approval by Cabinet earlier this week.
The establishment of the Taskforce is further to the government’s commitment to ensure the critical mental health needs for people in prison are met, addiction treatments are provided and primary care support is available on release, in order to ensure improved outcomes for individuals and for society.
It is a key goal of Minister McEntee’s Justice Plan 2021. Today’s announcement meets the commitment in the Plan to establish the Taskforce this spring, and a high level implementation plan will be published by the Taskforce by the end of the year.
Minister McEntee spoke about the importance of providing appropriate healthcare and responding to the needs of vulnerable, sometimes seriously ill, people who interact with the criminal justice system.
Minister McEntee said:
"The Taskforce will look at what is needed to better support and help those with addiction and mental health needs who have been imprisoned and will also look at what supports are needed to continue their recovery upon release.
"However, It is widely acknowledged that a certain cohort of people are too ill to be in prison, as they require urgent treatment.
"As a society that values human dignity, respect and equality, I am clear that we need to do better for people who are in these circumstances. We need to put in place properly resourced, appropriately located systems of care for these most vulnerable people and the establishment of this Taskforce is an important step to progressing this."
The Taskforce membership will include representatives from a wide cross-section of health agencies and the Justice sector as well as from relevant stakeholders, including the HSE, Central Mental Hospital, the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The Taskforce will also consult with other relevant stakeholders, as required, such as the Mental Health Commission, Inspector of Prisons, Prison Visiting Committees, Irish Penal Reform Trust and academia.
Speaking about the timelines for reporting, Minister McEntee stated:
"The establishment of the Taskforce is a key element of my Justice Plan 2021. It will be asked to submit a progress report to both Minister Donnelly and I by the third quarter of this year, with a High Level Implementation Plan to be delivered by the end of 2021.
"I know that this is an ambitious timeframe but we are committed to developing a system that provides comprehensive and coordinated mental health support for those who need it. The Taskforce will build on the previous work of the Interdepartmental group which examined issues relating to people with mental health issues who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Significant progress can and will be made."
Minister Donnelly said:
"This government is committed to bringing about a more integrated and holistic approach to the development of Mental Health, Dual Diagnosis and Primary Care services. The new mental health policy – “Sharing the Vision” is part of that approach.
"We aim to enhance care provision overall and to better focus on the wider societal supports and needs of prisoners and ex-prisoners. While the judicial and health systems have historically worked closely together, and there have been improvements over recent years, such as the expansion of forensic mental health care within prisons, this is an opportune time to review, take stock and agree on further improvements which can be delivered in the short term. In this context, the opening soon of the new HSE National Forensic Mental Health facility at Portrane, to address acknowledged capacity pressures by replacing the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum is particularly welcome.
"Minister Butler, Minister Feighan and I will work closely with Minister McEntee, and all relevant stakeholders, to advance the work of the Taskforce."
Minister Butler added:
"I welcome the particular focus the Taskforce will bring on diverting people with mental health difficulties from the criminal justice system and ensuring access to appropriate mental health services. The provision of the right supports, in line with Sláíntecare and Sharing the Vison should be our shared objective. The development of a costed and timelined implementation plan will be vital to ensure that enhanced mental health services and supports can be put in place for people who are in prison and post release."
Minister Feighan concluded by saying:
"We know that people in prison are more likely to have used drugs than the general population and that Irish prisons treated 848 cases for problem drug use in 2019. They also are at greater risk of related mental and physical health issues. Upon release from prison, these health issues don’t go away and people can be vulnerable to relapse and overdose. The task force will address in a holistic way the health and social needs of people in prison who use drugs, during and after their release, in line with the national and the European drugs strategies."
The following terms of reference have been agreed:
To read the second report of the Interdepartmental Group to examine issues relating to people with mental illness who come in contact with the Criminal Justice System, please go to https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9075-interdepartmental-group-to-examine-issues-relating-to-people-with-mental-illness-who-come-in-contact-with-the-criminal-justice-system/