Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Criminal Justice System: People with Neurodivergent Conditions

Wednesday 7 June 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kerry McCarthy asked about discussions on the treatment of people with neurodivergent conditions in the criminal justice system.
  • The Lord Chancellor has not yet spoken to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care but director level cross-departmental working groups are active.
  • The government screens prisoners and those on probation for neurodivergent conditions within their first week.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East
Justice & Courts Mental Health
Context

Discussions about the treatment of individuals with neurodivergent conditions within the criminal justice system are ongoing, but no formal meetings between key departments have occurred yet.

Question

What discussions has she had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the treatment of people with neurodivergent conditions in the criminal justice system?

Answer from Mike Freer

The Lord Chancellor is settling into his new role and has not yet had a chance to speak to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, but I can reassure the hon. Lady that, at director level, cross-departmental working groups have been working hard.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice were not addressed; only mention of general interdepartmental work was given.

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Q2 Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East
Justice & Courts Mental Health
Context

The hon. Member discussed the high prevalence of ADHD among prisoners and proposed early screening to prevent suicides, aid rehabilitation, and ensure resettlement.

Question

I thank the Minister for his response, and for telephoning me yesterday. As I said during that conversation, it is estimated that one in four prisoners have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and screening prisoners for that condition at an early stage—within a week of their entering prison, say—would not only help to prevent prison suicides, but aid rehabilitation and eventual resettlement. Will the Minister undertake to talk to his colleagues, particularly those on the Back Benches who have been working on this, about the need for such cases to be identified as early as possible?

Answer from Mike Freer

I can reassure the hon. Lady: I understand that prisoners are indeed screened in their first week, as are those on probation. However, there is more work to be done, and I am more than happy to arrange meetings with the hon. Lady and with any other colleague who wishes to pursue in more depth the work that we are doing in respect of both prisons and probation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to specific engagement with colleagues on Back Benches regarding early screening for neurodivergent conditions.

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Q3 Robert Buckland Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The hon. Member commended the Government's work on the call for evidence on neurodiversity and noted the appointment of neurodiversity support managers, but questioned the sufficiency of these efforts.

Question

May I commend the work that the Government are doing in pursuance of the call for evidence on neurodiversity that I initiated when I was in office? I note that 80 neurodiversity support managers have been appointed, but what more can be done to ensure that all our prisons have neurodiversity officers who can train other staff as well as screening prisoners who come into the system for a range of neurodiverse conditions?

Answer from Mike Freer

I pay tribute to the work that my right hon. and learned Friend has done in this regard. I know that he took it very seriously and was passionate about this issue. In fact, we now have 100 neurodiversity support managers rather than 80: we have made significant progress, but there are still 22 vacancies. We have more work to do on the screening, and we have more work to do to ensure that the data collection is both consistent and robust.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to specific steps for addressing vacancies or improving data consistency in relation to neurodiversity support managers.

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