National Reports Library

Summary of report content

From April to June 2017 Healthwatch Wandsworth investigated the mental health needs of offenders and ex-offenders in their borough. To do this Healthwatch Wandsworth circulated a survey inviting local people to tell them what is the mental health needs of offenders and ex-offenders in Wandsworth? Consultation Survey The survey was devised to collect information from ex-offenders, service providers and other interested stakeholders in order to understand what are the main mental health challenges faced by prisoners and ex-offenders in London, and what the Mayor and the London Assembly can do to support better mental health for this group. The survey was open from 12th April 2017 to 30th June 2017. They received a total of 8 responses to our survey. Conclusions and Recommendations The central importance of housing was the overall theme emerging from answers to all questions. Having an insecure housing situation was the factor most identified as affecting poor mental health and preventing people from building a new life on release from prison. It was also the issue people wanted more support with. A need for more mental health support services and supportive activities, such as interest groups focused on physical exercise was highlighted. They found many organisations that had been supporting offenders and ex-offenders struggling to fund or continue their activities or lacking a local focus. This may highlight a gap in provision of services in Wandsworth that provide support before they find themselves in prison or when they leave. Statistics highlighted at the beginning of this report show that there is a clear need to be addressed because there is a very high level of prevalence of mental health conditions amongst prisoners.

Would you like to look at: