In reply Mr Straw conceded it was a 'controversial and complex' area and admitted that introducing indeterminate detention was a serious step. The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has said staffing levels in all areas of mental health are at crisis levels and that the new plans for psychopaths could make matters worse. A cross-country review shows that 71 per cent of trusts have problems recruiting and retaining psychiatrists while 85 per cent have difficulty recruiting nursing staff. It is possible that Grendon prison in Aylesbury has caught the eye of Jack Straw in his quest to treat people with severe personality disorders. The prison, set up in the early 1960s, is based on a 'therapeutic community' model.
Most inmates are serious offenders with a history of violent or sexual crime.
They are expected to attend group sessions where they are encouraged to examine their past behaviour, to be tolerant of others and to be willing to help other inmates. The regime has been backed by Lord Woolf in a prison report. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational and cultural relations. Registered in England as a Charity.