Commissions tell UN: ‘more protection needed for people with mental health conditions in detention’

The Scottish Human Rights Commission will today join the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in calling for greater protection of human rights for people with mental health conditions who are detained in hospitals, prisons and police cells.

Referring to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s recent inquiry into the issue, the UK’s three “A status” national human rights institutions will address the 28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva amid growing concerns over the deaths of adults with mental health conditions after being detained in police cells, hospitals and prisons in the UK.

The Commissions will call on all member states to “protect the human rights of people in detention who have mental health conditions” by providing a “safe and respectful environment to minimise risk” and ensuring “robust and independent mechanisms [are] in place to investigate when non-natural deaths occur”.

The Commissions will also recommend improving staff training, ensuring joined up working between different agencies and monitoring the numbers of people detained and the severity of their conditions.

Notes                            

1. The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body with a remit to promote and protect human rights for everyone in Scotland.
2. The Scottish Human Rights Commission, Equality and Human Rights Commission and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission are the UK’s three national human rights institutions and are all accredited as “A status” bodies within the UN system.
3. The Equality and Human Rights Commission inquiry into preventing deaths in detention of adults with mental health conditions can be read here.
4. The 28th session of the Human Rights Council takes place from 2 to 27 March at the UN headquarters in Geneva.