Following three months of debate in every branch in England and Wales, delegates at the WI national conference in Liverpool voted overwhelmingly - 6,205 in favour and 173 against - to call a halt to the inappropriate imprisonment of the mentally ill.

This heralds the start of a powerful WI campaign which will see ministers, MPs, courts, health and prison authorities called upon to introduce far reaching reforms.

Speaking from the conference centre in Liverpool, Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

‘This WI resolution proves that something good can emerge from a terrible tragedy. After her schizophrenic son killed himself in prison, one mother’s determination to stop other families suffering, as hers has done, has led to a resounding commitment from the WI to stop the cruel practice of locking up mentally ill people in bleak, overcrowded jails. It is difficult to think of anywhere more likely to make an ill person worse. Now we expect to see the development of diversion schemes at police stations and courts and a range of proper mental health services opened up across England and Wales.

‘When a highly respected organisation like the WI looks at the dark, neglected world of prisons and highlights the plight of the mentally ill then things will start changing for the better.’

Notes:

1. The WI briefing on the resolution, including details of the suicide which led to the resolution, is available on the WI website
2. A copy of Juliet Lyon’s speech to the WI is available here
3. Many prisoners have mental health problems. 72% of male and 70% of female sentenced prisoners suffer from two or more mental health disorders. 20% of prisoners have four of the five major mental health disorders.
4. According to the NHS Plan, around 5,000 prisoners, between 5-8% of the prison population at the time, have sever and enduring mental illnesses.
5. A significant number of prisoners suffer from a psychotic disorder. 7% of male and 14% of female sentenced prisoners have a psychotic disorder; 14 and 23 times the level in the general population.
6. In 2007, there were 22,459 recorded incidents of self harm.
7. Over 100 prisoners were resuscitated during 2007 after serious self harm incidents and 92 committed suicide.