£500m 'squandered' on scheme to help dangerous prisoners

Experiment is branded 'unscientific and ineffective' as thousands of mentally ill offenders go untreated

Nearly £500m has been squandered on an experimental scheme to treat Britain's most dangerous offenders which experts have branded "ineffective", "unscientific" and "wasteful".

A new report by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) found tens of millions of pounds are spent every year on a few hundred offenders, many of whom will never be released from prison or hospital, while thousands of other mentally disordered prisoners are left untreated and thus more likely to reoffend.

The report, Blurring Boundaries, to be published this week, calls on the Government to "phase out" the programme, which has admitted about 450 murderers, rapists and other violent offenders in the past nine years. This puts the cost of treatment for offenders in the four dangerous and serious personality disorder (DSPD) units at just over £1m per person.

Research into the controversial DSPD programmes has been overwhelmingly critical as little evidence of psychological or social improvements have been found. Condemnation mounted after it became clear that it would be impossible to know if the multimillion-pound experiment reduces the risk of reoffending because the Government refuses to change the selection process needed to make proper evaluation possible.

Max Rutherford, the report's author, said: "The research we have so far is unanimous: after nearly 10 years the programmes are ineffective and some people actually get a bit worse. There is no risk to the public if the programmes were to stop today, yet tens of thousands of prisoners have no access to services which could help them and protect the public."

The controversial programmes were set up at Frankland and Whitemoor prisons and two high-security hospitals after the Government promised to "deal with the most dangerous offenders" in 2001. It followed a row when the former home secretary, Jack Straw, claimed that psychiatrists refused to treat Michael Stone, diagnosed with a personality disorder and convicted of two murders in 1996.

Between 3,000 and 5,000 prisoners could benefit from the programme, according to official estimates, yet the units – which cost between £200,000 and £300,000 per person per year – have never been fully occupied.

Early government research led by Peter Tyrer, professor of community psychiatry at Imperial College London, found disgruntled prisoners who spent only 10 per cent of their time doing anything resembling therapy. "Large parts of the money have been wasted, and such investment cannot be justified," Professor Tyrer said.

Other critics include John Gunn, retired professor of forensic psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry. "The DSPD programme was not launched because of a desire to help people with a personality disorder; it was all about locking people up," he said. "It has been incredibly expensive; hasn't made any difference to the public; no lives have been saved here and nor have any patients been helped. This was not a scientific response, but a political response."

A Justice Ministry spokeswoman defended the programme. Treatment is expected to last for three to five years and, since most units have been fully operational only since 2005, relatively few individuals had shown positive benefits. "We envisage this will increase during the coming year," she said.

Richard Charlton from the Mental Health Lawyers Association said: "While no one is arguing that those few hundred people don't deserve help, half a billion pounds is truly an extraordinary figure. This money would have gone a long way to helping the army of mentally unwell prisoners get on the road to recovery."

Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Imperial Cities of Morocco
Seven nights half-board from only £799pp Find out more
Historic Sicily
Seven nights half-board from £799pp Find out more
4* all-inclusive Crete
Seven nights from only £399pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

Day In a Page

Johnny Marr talks relationships and reunions

He's worked with Modest Mouse, the Pet Shop Boys and Beck, to name a few, and recently released his first solo album. So why, wonders Johnny Marr, do people still hark on about The Smiths?
After the flood: From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands

In pictures: After the flood

From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands
Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals

Death becomes her: A very modern mortician

Ever considered baking a loved one's remains into a cake or putting their ashes in fireworks? If so, talk to Caitlin Doughty, champion of the alternative death industry.
How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

At first it seemed clever and cute. Then the 'Keep Calm' motif went mad, spawning endless offshoots.
The man who built Brum: A lament for the demise of John Madin's Brutalist Birmingham

John Madin: The man who built Brum

The architect's buildings were supposed to leave an indelible, futuristic mark on his beloved hometown but they are now being inexorably torn down.
School of chop: Learning the art of butchery at the Ginger Pig

School of chop: Learning the art of butchery

How do you butcher a lamb? Or make Mexican street food in a British kitchen? Christopher Hirst finds out.
James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats