Submission to the Joint Committee on the draft Mental Health Bill

“The Howard League encourages the committee to push the government for further commitments on ending the practice of remand for own protection in its entirety, and not just on mental health grounds.

“Some individuals will continue to be remanded for their own protection or welfare due to concerns around exploitation or abuse. For example, in the Howard League’s recent work on children remanded to custody, the charity spoke to a boy who had been remanded to protect him from his exploiters and then assaulted in prison.

“The outright repeal of this provision of the Bail Act 1976 would be in line with the changes to ‘places of safety’ in Clause 41 and would finally end this residual and outdated power.

“The use of prison to secure protection and welfare in any circumstance is wrong in principle and ineffective, even damaging, in practice.”

Read the full submission