Written questions

Mentally Disordered Offenders: Prisoners' Release

Commons · Question 26664 · Tabled 2 Sep 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Official record

Answered 8 Sep 2026

Question

Asked by Kim Johnson

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) serving, and (b) not serving an IPP sentence have been detained under the Section 47/49 pathway before release from prison, since 2016.

Answer

Answered by Catherine McKinnell, 8 Sep 2026

Section 47/49 of the Mental Health Act (1983) allows for the transfer of a serving prisoners to psychiatric hospital, where the statutory criteria for transfer under the Act are met. The specific information requested could only be provided at disproporti...