Vulnerable offenders suffer ‘systemic and routine discrimination’ at the hands of the police, court and prison services, according to a damning report.

The 19 November report, Prisoners’ Voices, arose from a three-year review by the Prison Reform Trust. It found that less than a third of vulnerable people received support from an appropriate adult during police interviews, while half of those with learning disabilities did not know what would happen once they were charged. They were five times more likely than other prisoners to be subject to control and restraint measures in prison and three times more likely to spend periods in segregation.

Richard Charlton, chairman of the Mental Health Lawyers Association and partner at London firm Kaim Todner, said offenders with learning difficulties or mental health problems were disadvantaged from the beginning.

‘They don’t understand what’s happening at the police station or in court,’ he said. ‘And then they’re picked on in prison and don’t have the mental resources to pass the rehabilitation courses that could see them freed. It’s systemic and routine discrimination.’