Correctional institutions
The hospital stay was often just a few days. After direct suicidality could no
longer be determined and acute symptoms had subsided, the inmate was
transferred back to the correctional institution. Frequently the symptoms
reappeared quickly once the effect of the acute medication had worn off, the
consequence of which was another transfer to Innsbruck Regional Hospital.
The constant change of location is not only detrimental to the state of health of
the patient. Since the transport is often during a critical phase, it is associated
with a considerable risk to all involved. The commission also observed that
there are no long-term treatment plans for prison inmates at Innsbruck
Regional Hospital.
Potentially dangerous
transport
Overall, the commission concluded that patients who are transferred from the
correctional institution to an in-patient stay in a psychiatric department are
suffering predominantly from serious mental illnesses of the schizophrenic
group or from severe personality disorders. The disorders require psychiatric
treatment that goes beyond the possibilities of the consultant psychiatric and
psychological service in the correctional institution.
By contrast, in the forensic ward of the department of psychiatry at Hall
Regional Hospital patients who are transferred from Innsbruck correctional
institution are observed for longer and receive long-term therapy concepts.
This results in longer stays on the one hand, but also to more sustainable
treatment results.
Better treatment in Hall
Regional Hospital
As the commission aptly highlighted, the principle of equal treatment shall
prevail, namely that detained persons shall not receive inferior treatment to
those living in freedom. This also includes that patients who are the inmates in
a correctional institution are further treated in the open area of the psychiatric
department and, in particular, are offered psychotherapeutic care after an
acute stay in a closed area of a psychiatric clinic.
Human rights relevance
The NPM is aware that a meeting took place between tirol kliniken and Innsbruck
correctional institution in 2018 at which the main points for a standardised
procedure for in-patient admissions of patients from the correctional institution
were defined. However, the NPM considers the psychiatric care needs after a
stay in the acute ward as currently not sufficiently covered.
The Federal Ministry of Justice responded that the medical superintendent
had been at tirol kliniken several times and addressed the issue of adequate
treatment for patients in the psychiatric department who are transferred from
Innsbruck correctional institution. It was emphasised that the cost is covered
by the Federal Government and the medical requirement is in focus.
Admission to in-patient
care not a question of
cost
As the general directorate concluded, scaling up the psychiatric service is not
feasible due to the lack of suitable permanent positions. Innsbruck correctional
institution has just 0.8 FTEs and an additional contracted psychiatrist when
required for the psychiatric area. The prison administration thus relies on tirol
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