Prisoners in ‘inhumane’ conditions as controversial law creates bottleneck at dedicated mental health hospital

Up to 20 seriously mentally ill inmates are living in “inhumane” conditions that violate human rights because the state’s only mental health hospital for inmates is permanently full, advocates say.

Frankland Center is a 30-bed forensic hospital on the Graylands campus, providing inpatient mental health care to remand and sentenced inmates.

But even as demand soars, one of its beds has been empty, while department data shows others are filled with people who haven’t actually been convicted of crimes but are in custody under a controversial WA law which allows an indefinite definition.

Mental health advocate Sheila Rajan, who sees inmates when they arrive at the frankland Center, she said she felt angry that the system had failed them.

A staff member at the facility, who asked to remain anonymous to protect his job, said one of the 30 beds was empty last week because there weren’t enough staff to safely care for another acute patient.

“It’s heartbreaking,” the worker said.

“You hear news about suicides in prison and people not getting proper care – that’s going to cause them more trauma while they’re waiting for a bed.

The waiting list is not that long, says the government

WA Health said the bed was not empty due to staffing shortages but “for the safety, well-being and clinical needs of consumers and staff and due to an admission earlier in the week.”

He said there were currently five people on the waiting list, but advocates say it fluctuated to numbers as high as 20 on any particular day.

WA Custodial Services Inspector Eamon Ryan said there was an average waiting list of between 10 and 15 so far in 2022.

He said prisoners needing long-term hospital treatment were increasingly being taken to emergency rooms because there were no available beds at the Frankland Center.

“It’s a Band-Aid.”

Some isolated prisoners

He said patients who would normally be transferred to the Frankland Center were experiencing serious mental health conditions, including extreme psychosis.

Ryan said that, in prison, they were often isolated under observation in cells where they could not harm themselves.

He said most of his care was provided by custodial officers who were not trained as mental health workers.

“Essentially, your job is to keep them alive,” Ryan said.

Mr. Ryan said that although there were 29 dedicated mental health beds in Bandyup women’s prisons and a new 34-bed facility being built in Casuarina, they were not equipped to provide adequate treatment in the most serious cases, which were classified as “P1”. .

The Justice Department said the most acute patients needed to be referred to the Frankland Center, sometimes for involuntary treatment, which the department was not legally authorized to provide.

“When there are no beds available at the Frankland Center, a patient may be transferred to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital as a short-term solution,” a department spokesman said.

For those who had to remain in prison because the center was full, the spokesman said special care was taken to ensure the safety of people who were considered a danger to themselves or others.

He said mental health nursing is provided seven days a week, with staff assessing, treating and caring for patients in specialized units.

“Vulnerable prisoners remain under observation with access to health personnel at all times,” the spokesman said.