BY MICHELLE NICHOLSON

MENTALLY ILL people are being locked up instead of treated for their health issues.
For many years people have been sentenced to prison for behaviours relating to their mental health which are also criminal acts.
In prison mental health is left untreated and is exacerbated. Prisoners are often left unable to cope with the harshness reality of life inside and many, do not survive to see the outside.

Ruth Bond, the chair from the highly respected women’s institute organisation suffered the ordeal of being powerless to obtain care for her son suffering from the mental health condition of schizophrenia. At the age of 22 whilst at university Ruth’s son suffered a nervous breakdown and began to deteriorate rapidly having no symptoms beforehand. He began to repeatedly attempt suicide as a response to being tormented by his own mind. Ruth’s son developed a fascination for guns as way to take his own life and was often detained for his own safety in Newcastle as a result of this. Ruth’s son was well known in the community for his mental health condition and well known to the local police therefore soon received cared and treated should they be called out by the care team and speedily admitted to hospital safely.
He started to visit another city after starting a relationship with a girl who lived there and soon became more chaotic. On one visit he purchased a gun so that he could take his own life, he made a phone call to his sister as a cry for help informing her that he was going to shoot himself. Following the call his sister called the police asking them for help informing them of his state of mind and requested that they take him to a psychiatric unit. She awaited the news of his safety. Ruth’s son was in fact arrested and charged before being taken to prison and received a sentence of 5 years. His mental health soon declined as family contact was hard due to travel and short visiting hours and he did not fit in with the other prisoners often being bullied for his difference and was soon scapegoat for an accusation of racisms by his peers in prisoner. Staff segregated him for his own safety and he was taken to the segregation unit. Ruth’s son declined into a state of despair seeing no end to his suffering not knowing what was going to happen next and he felt unsafe and desperate.
In a letter he wrote the following ‘you must understand that one of my beliefs, at a deep level, is that the world is a dangerous and malevolent place – this is common with my illness. As a result, I do assume that everyone is out to get me……you can see that I am in a terrible situation, segregated, hated by the entire jail it seems and not knowing what will happen next……I hate this kind of life and I have considered actual suicide. I am by myself and the cell is cold’. He later suffocated himself using a plastic bag.
Following the tragedy the Ruth Bond the chair of the women’s institute fought hard alongside the prison reform trust for those that were entering the criminal justice system to be identified and taken to care rather than custody. Following three years of campaigning Kenneth Clarke and Andrew Lansley declared plans of care rather than custody for those suffering with mental health conditions. Prison however is an institution which is hundreds of years old we can only speculate about the figure of voices remaining unheard within the prison walls with mental health issues and the pain and suffering it has caused them. Despite the recent recommendations 2 thirds of men women and children in custody suffer from 2 mental health problems or more, (information taken from PRT).
Mental health is a problem which can manifest in anyone, it can be triggered by; life experiences, unfold out of the blue from the genetic material that a person possesses. It can cause a calm persons behaviour to change dramatically as they live with the torment in their mind. Experts then diagnose the problem to provide adequate treatment and care. Not all those however suffering with mental health problems go on to be placed in a safe environment to receive effective treatment some are placed into the criminal justice system which is an environment which can cause mental health problems and seriously exacerbates it. Prison is not a safe place, it is mentally tasking for those residing in its walls not knowing who to trust and the strongest are seen to survive the experience. The mentally weak can be easily identified and pried upon used as scapegoats for the extreme negative environment or taken advantage of for their goods. The mentally ill are often open to bullying inside, little security and safety is offered and staff is not trained to care for them.
Rhonda Rowland was another of those unheard voices. ‘Ronnie’ was a prolific offender being unable to cope in the outside world following a lifelong pattern of sexual abuse towards her. Inside prison Ronnie sometimes coped well, she was able to make a life for herself; she had friends, a job, a community and even a relationship being perceived as ‘happy’. Some days however, Ronnie revealed a darker side to her and for days and even weeks she would change her mood and no one could talk to her, she would cut herself off from the ‘inside’ community and, appeared vulnerable. As a self harmer the staff would put her in a place of safety in segregation and remove all sharp obstacles, staff were supportive and humane. Staff informed that she was not eating or drinking, she was a vulnerable young women facing her demons and internalising her pain as often women do. The battle that abused people face, quadruples on the ‘inside,’ and Ronnie was joined by other vulnerable women.
Ronnie had no visits and life outside became further away . She distanced herself from reality and became increasingly institutionalised. Ronnie was a victim, before entering a life of crime herself.
In 1995 Ronnie was given a life sentence for attempted murder, I realised then that Ronnie would not make it to the outside world again, she would never pass any vigorous parole board having mental health issues and a list of prescribed antipsychotic drugs , this would alarm any parole board. Her mental health would soon decline in a much more inhumane environment being placed in a prison, which has now been condemned for its conditions. Staff were harsh and cynical often treating the women with contempt Ronnie confronted them and after lots confrontations with the staff she was placed in the segregation unit and at the age of 36 she ended her life of torment by way of suicide.
Ronnie’s death did not make big news. Following her suicide she was lost and unknown by many, she had no family to campaign against the treatment she never received. She will be remembered by very few. I remember you Ronnie.

Following the death of Ruth Bond’s son,inMarch 2011, MP Kenneth Clarke and Andrew Lansley, planned to divert those with mental health issues to care and not custody.
Many voices in prison are still left unheard.
Rest in Peace Rhonda ‘Ronnie’ Rowland and all of those who have been locked inside their tumultuous minds locked away from society.
Prisoners are vulnerable Human Beings. Do not forget about them.

Imprisonment is a common judicial response to violations of the law, but there is disagreement on what its purpose should be.
Tell us your views>>> Do you think imprisonment is an effective response to crime?
Does more need to be done to assess people’s mental health conditions?

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