A WOMAN with a brain injury has been held in solitary confinement for nearly three years, a shocking inspectors’ report into the state of prisons in England and Wales has found. 

The annual report by independent monitors boards (IMBs), published today, said many people with severe mental health problems continue to be inappropriately placed in prisons, with many put in segregation, describing this as a “chronic problem.” 

In many cases, IMBs found that the more serious a person’s condition, the longer they were held in segregation due to long delays in transfers to mental health hospitals. 

IMBs are made up of a group of volunteers who carry out regular visits to prisons to check on the welfare of prisoners. Each prison has its own IMB, also referred to as a board. 

All IMBs reported a number of prisoners who stayed in segregation for more than 42 days — and even for over 100 days. 

One particularly concerning case highlighted was that of an inmate at Eastwood Park women’s prison who had been continuously segregated for 1,202 days. 

Despite raising repeated concerns about the “inhumane treatment” of the woman, who has an acquired brain injury, a solution has yet to be found, the report said. 

It notes that prisons struggle to meet the needs of people with acute mental health problems, adding: “In general, boards commended segregation staff who, often without specific training, dealt with some extremely challenging prisoners and situations.” 

IMBs national chairwoman Dame Anne Owers said: “The chronic problem of the inappropriate use of prison for men and women with severe mental health problems is unlikely to improve, given the pressures on the NHS.

“Some with acute mental illness are still sent to prison by the courts as an alleged ‘place of safety’ or for their ‘own protection.’ 

“There is an urgent need for joint action with the Department of Health so that prison is not the default setting for people whose primary problem is mental disorder.”

Social justice campaigners have also called for urgent action. 

Nacro chief executive Campbell Robb said: “This report is shocking. Prisons are crumbling and failing to serve their purpose. 

“When a woman with a brain injury has been kept segregated and alone for almost three years, we cannot as a country claim this is what we want from this system. This report must result in action.”

The Ministry of Justice was approached for comment.