We’ve featured in recent press coverage (and here) following our research on dangerous patients who have committed serious violent crimes and who are receiving welfare benefits when detained in hospital, whilst so many victims families have to struggle so hard.
We’re launching a campaign to get this changed and are asking our friends, families, and supporters to spread the word and write to their MP.
(Please let us know when you’ve done so!)
We’ve done a briefing of some points you could include in your letter, but please get in touch if you need any help.
You can find your MP by this link
Dangerous Patients & State Benefits Briefing – Executive Summary
The problem
- Violent offenders detained ‘indefinitely’ under the mental health act are entitled to claim welfare benefits.
- As all of their living costs in hospital are already funded by the State they are able to save substantial sums – often many thousands of pounds – on release.
- It’s common for mentally ill offenders who commit serious crimes also to abuse street drugs.
- The effect of giving violent offenders large sums of money on release into the community cannot be known, or tested, by treatment in hospital.
- Such payments arguably facilitate a significant risk of further offending by giving released violent offenders the means to buy drugs.
- There is no evidence these risks are currently addressed (or even acknowledged) by clinicians or Mental Health Tribunals considering the release of indefinitely detained violent patients.
- Paying benefits to people who have committed serious violent crimes is wrong.
- It is an insult to their victims who often have to struggle so hard to access support.
- We estimate the total cost to the public purse of welfare benefits paid to violent offenders could reach many millions of pounds.
- This is money that could be more effectively spent on services for victims, or more assertive mental health treatment for those that need it most.
What we are calling on MPs to do
- Support our campaign for change by writing to Ministers to close this loophole
For more information please contact:
Julian Hendy – info@hundredfamilies.org – or visit our website. www.hundredfamilies.org
This loophole or campaign for change? My knowledge of welfare payments from a medium secure unit downwards from around mid 90’s to mid 2000’s was different. Patients detained sectioned with court convictions got a standard weekly supplement or payment (like prison) mere pocket money really. I’d say around 1999 this was probably only about £12 a week. Packet of cigs probably cost around £4 then. I know because I saw patients struggle with no cigs regular. Always somebody had cheap tobacco from abroad for sale though and sometimes police sniffer dogs visiting. I just don’t know where these stories of patients with stacks of money come from.
Having had experience of medium secure units and less secure from mid 90’s to mid 2000’s I don’t know where these stories of patients wealth come from. Theres always regular stories too in papers of patients luxuries. Suspect misinformation bias prejudice or law must have changed. Most patients got a standard benefits payment each week back then similar to prison. Approx £12 around 1999. Bearing in mind a packet of cigs probably cost about £4 at the time. I saw lots of patients struggle without any money. Someone always had cheap foreign loose tobacco for sale on a ward though. Police sniffer dogs occasionally showing up. If a patient eventually moved onto community accommodation say hostel. I think they could claim benefits differently then like anybody else in the community. So when did the law or rules change to create all this wealth for individual detainees?
The Department of Work and Pensions has confirmed that patients who have been convicted of serious crimes who receive an indefinite sentence (ie eg Sec 37/41 Hospital Order) are entitled to universal credit even though they are not available for work and have their accommodation and food paid for. The benefits I understand are usually put into an account for when they are released.
Let me add to that I currently work in medium secure forensic unit and I can confirm that many patients detained on sec 37/41 and sec 3 and 37 notional are in receipt of universal credit and some are getting PIP and most recently the cold weather payments and help with living costs some of those getting PIP have at some point been out in the community and returned to hospital and are supposed to inform the relevant DWP dept about their re admission to hospital but don’t patients get hot meals 4 a day have no bills to pay and also get money from the hospital for therapeutic reasons for cooking sessions some patients have disposable incomes of £800 a month some more than this which is paid direct into hospital finances or into their private bank account many patients don’t have budgeting skills and spend the money as soon as they get it, some accumulate thousands let’s add to that many patients get leave entitlement either escorted by staff or unescorted .
I have known some patients to have a host of tech gadgets in their rooms and now they can have access to mobiles smart phones and also expensive trainers lined up my believe has always been that having mental health issues should not be treated the same way as prisoners but I also believe that benefits should be given in the community anyone else going into hospital be it general will have benefits stopped after a few weeks. .