The mental health of foreign national prisoners

Abstract

Foreign national prisoners include people who are subject to criminal proceedings and have been deprived of their liberty in a state in which they are neither a national nor a resident. In the United Kingdom, they constitute approximately 10,000 individuals and represent around 12% of the total prison population. Significant health disparity exists within the general prison population compared to society at large and foreign national prisoners suffer even higher rates of both physical and mental health disorders. The impact of detention; extradition, deportation and administrative removal legislation; and mental health service provision for foreign national prisoners is discussed. The right to health encompasses access to appropriate healthcare independent of legal status and like all human rights, extends to foreign national prisoners. Change is required and the provision of equivalent care for foreign national prisoners requires global attention.

Keywords: Foreign national prisoners; Foreign offender; Mental health; Mentally disordered offender; Prison medicine; Psychiatry.