Help for prisoner on remand!

ljonski

Who can i get to make certain that a female remand prisoner is receiving adequate mental health care?

Also i am willing to give evidence to say that no crime was actually committed and that she was having a psychotic episode at the time of her arrest. I have evidence to this fact on my phone.but will only be able to visit this person next week. i don't know who their Solicitor is , nor do they have any family to help. I am not family btw.Police have my details but have not contacted me- the incident in question is now over a week old.

Guest101

Have you made a statement to the police. If so, this will be handed over by the CPS to the defence at the time of charging.


The defence will then get in touch with you.


To be honest, it's unlikely that they are receiving sufficient mental health care, but they'll be receiving some form of care and that is unlikely to be increased.


As for no crime being committed, that's not probably not what you have evidence of. You may have evidence of 'diminished responsibility', IE there was a lack of 'Mens Rea', the mental capacity to commit a crime. But equally you may not, a 'psychotic episode' does not mean a crime wasn't committed, it's a complex area of law.

.j.e.j

Find out who her solicitor is, and pass on the information to him/her? The lawyer will know whether your evidence will stand up in a court of law.

LKRDN_Morgan

Unless you're an expert witness you will not be able to stand up in court to say she was having a psychotic episode. By expert witness I mean a mental health professional who has the qualifications (and credibility) to say that.
If you're needed as a witness you will receive a letter from witness care. Until then there isn't much you can do. It takes longer than a week for a case to get to coiurt

elsien

If she is obviously unwell to the point where the prison are not able to manage her care then it is possible for a transfer to a mental health unit.
More information here.
https://www.rethink.org/living-with-mental-illness/police-courts-prison/section-48-49-transfer-of-a-prisoner-on-remand-to-hospital

However given the number of people in prison with mental health issues, she'd have to be quite poorly for that to happen.

ljonski

The person was only arrested on suspicion of a crime. The Police told me that it was so that her mental health could be assessed.
I was there as well as people from the emergency services who i am sure realised that the person was in a psychosis.I fully expected them to be released into a mental health unit for a continuation of their treatment.
As i have stated i have not made a statement and a lot of evidence has been disposed of and no request was made to the contrary.
I can only assume that experts have inspected the scene and taken photos. I am now slightly concerned that if my phone is lost, then some of this evidence will be lost also.
The main concern for me is that she receives adequate mental health care and i am not certain that prison is the right place for her, as she has not been charged- as far as i am aware and nor whether she is getting adequate mental health treatment there.

Plus also because of their issues, i really can't be sure that they are able to ask the right questions or request the right help. This is why i am thinking that someone with expert knowledge could advocate for her.

.j.e.j

You say she has psychosis, - is she aware that she is unwell?

ljonski

yes..................................

LKRDN_Morgan

ljonski wrote: »

The person was only arrested on suspicion of a crime. The Police told me that it was so that her mental health could be assessed.
I was there as well as people from the emergency services who i am sure realised that the person was in a psychosis.I fully expected them to be released into a mental health unit for a continuation of their treatment.
As i have stated i have not made a statement and a lot of evidence has been disposed of and no request was made to the contrary.
I can only assume that experts have inspected the scene and taken photos. I am now slightly concerned that if my phone is lost, then some of this evidence will be lost also.
The main concern for me is that she receives adequate mental health care and i am not certain that prison is the right place for her, as she has not been charged- as far as i am aware and nor whether she is getting adequate mental health treatment there

I'm wondering if you've been given the complete story. If she's been remanded she's already been charged. She would (or should) have been given good quality mental health care whilst in custody and any concerns for her would have been raised then and dealt with before she was transferred to prison.

ljonski

If she has been charged, then i am a key witness and no one has contacted me. secondly a lot of evidence has been cleared away by me as it appears no one was told that they couldn't.

LKRDN_Morgan

ljonski wrote: »

If she has been charged, then i am a key witness and no one has contacted me. secondly a lot of evidence has been cleared away by me as it appears no one was told that they couldn't.

Have you spoken to her? Have you spoken to police? As a witness you can definitely contact them to provide a statement.

ETA did you actually witness the incident? Or are you saying you're a key witness because you feel she was having a psychotic episode?
If it's the latter then it would explain why no ones contacted you.