A brief survey of service development needs for dual diagnosis in East Midlands prisons

There are significant numbers of prisoners with complex substance misuse, health and mental health needs. Although there have been substantial developments in drug and mental health services within prisons and the wider criminal justice system, this has occurred with little inter-agency collaboration. To gauge the level of involvement and inter-agency collaboration for prisoners with complex needs, a brief questionnaire was circulated to mental health and substance use teams in East Midlands prisons. There are limits to the conclusions drawn, but the findings suggest that there is a lack of a dual diagnosis strategy, very little collaborative work, and an urgent need for training and service development.