14 January 2014 | Comments
Currently on Island and working with the Offender Management Team at the St Helena Prison is Dr Tim McInerny (photo attached).
Arriving on Saturday 11 January 2014, Dr McInerny is on Island for a week assisting the Offender Management Team in trying to provide the very best quality rehabilitation for serious offenders at the Prison, to ensure a safer St Helena community.
Prior to visiting St Helena, Dr McInerny consulted remotely with Probation Officer Victoria Kellet, and other members of the team here. This included completing assessments, via video link, with some prisoners. While on Island, Dr McInerny will be further assessing prisoners, providing advice on offender management and also providing training to the local team on how better to understand risk and mitigation. He has already met with the prisoners and will be making further recommendations as the week progresses.
Commenting on current offender management work here, Dr McInerny said:
“I’m generally very impressed by what is being achieved here. I’m also aware of the new Prison and the work that will hopefully start in the next few months. I’m also impressed by the commitment from the team in their treatment plans and the considerable work that is going on already to ensure the best safety for the public on the Island.”
He added:
“The Prison Service is doing a lot of good work despite limited resources. Every professional working here is quite isolated and I think it’s really helpful to have my support to help them improve their expertise and to really try and get the best outcomes. I have been a visiting Psychiatrist to the Falkland Islands for thirteen years so I know a lot about the challenges facing a small community in terms of both risk and mental health – and also the need to develop programmes that take into account a small community, the feelings of the community and what practical resources are available.”
This is Dr McInerny’s first visit to the Island, working with the Offender Management Team to see what the resources are like and understand the challenges faced by the team. Once he leaves the Island, Dr McInerny will support St Helena via regular telephone, email and video links.
He concluded:
“The journey to the Island is currently long and expensive – so supporting the team via telephone, email and video links will ensure prompt and immediate support and immediate assessment of both people who are charged and also those who have been convicted.”
Dr McInerny is a Psychiatrist but first trained as a Doctor before studying Psychiatry and then Criminal Psychiatry. In the UK, Dr McInerny works with offenders with mental health problems. He worked for nine years in maximum security Hospital, Broadmoor, but for the last six years has been working in a low security Hospital in London helping offenders get ready for a return back into the community, helping to ensure this goes successfully and that the public are safe.
Dr McInerny departs the Island on Saturday 18 January 2014.
14 January 2014
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