Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of prisoners had (a) an identified mental illness and (b) a diagnosed neurodivergence in each of the last 10 years.

NHS England is only able to produce data for the last 12 months, as we have improved our reporting mechanisms to include neurodivergent conditions. Prior to this improvement, information is not available.

As of 29 February 2024, there were 6,152 prisoners, or 7.3% of the prison population, with an identified mental health illness, according to the Quality and Outcomes Framework’s classifications. This only includes those with confirmation of a severe and enduring mental health illness such as schizophrenia, and does not include dementia, depression, and learning disabilities. 6,699 prisoners, or 8% of the prison population, had a confirmed diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 2,684 prisoners, or 3.2% of the prison population, had a confirmed diagnosis of autism. It is not possible to produce a combined figure within the timescales, due to the fact that prisoners may have more than one diagnosis and therefore may be counted multiple times.