Prison Reform

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Issues facing remand prisoners

Many of those held on remand will have a complicated set of needs - drug and alcohol misuse, poor educational attainment, mental illness and unstable accommodation are particularly prevalent amongst remand prisoners.

Housing – Remand prisoners are more likely than sentenced prisoners to have a history of living in unstable or unsuitable accommodation. Research by the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO) has suggested they are FIVE times more likely to have lived in a hostel prior to imprisonment.

Physical health – Research by NACRO has found that almost two thirds of remand prisoners said they had an existing health problem compared to around a third of sentenced prisoners serving less than 12 months.

Employment – Over two in three of ALL prisoners are unemployed when they go to jail. But research by NACRO has found that remand prisoners are less likely than sentenced prisoners to have had a job before prison. The minority of remand prisoners who do have jobs are more likely to lose them whilst in prison.

Remand prisoners are less likely to have much personal support than sentenced prisoners. Research has found that they are more likely to be single and to have spent time in local authority care.

Drugs – According to the Office for National Statistics nearly three quarters of male remand prisoners and nearly half of female remand prisoners have used at least one drug in the year before coming to prison. Nearly a third of men and more than forty per cent of women used heroin in that year. Overall these figures are much higher than for sentenced prisoners.

Mental health – Remand prisoners suffer from a range of mental health problems. According to the Office for National Statistics, more than three quarters of male remand prisoners suffer from a personality disorder. One in ten suffer from a functional psychosis and more than half suffer from depression. For female remand prisoners, nearly two thirds suffer from depression. Once again these figures are higher than for sentenced prisoners. Research has found that 9 per cent of remand prisoners require immediate transfer to the NHS.

The Reform Remand campaign organised by the Prison Reform Trust, is calling for: • An improvement in the treatment of, and conditions for, people held in prison awaiting trial • A reduction in the needless use of custodial remand Sign here to support the campaign
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