THERE is a crisis of mental health in Britain’s prisons, a panel of MPs has said, calling for root and branch reform to alleviate it.

The Commons justice committee said that while 10 per cent of the country’s 83,000 prison inmates are receiving treatment for mental-health problems, as many as 70 per cent could have undiagnosed mental conditions.

Announcing the conclusions of an inquiry into the issue, the committee condemned a “disjointed and incoherent approach” to the issue that has “left many prisoners suffering from mental health issues undiagnosed and unable to access care.”