Mental Health Act 1959

73 Removal to hospital of other prisoners

(1) If in the case of a person to whom this section applies the Secretary of State is satisfied by the like reports as are required for the purposes of the last foregoing section that that person is suffering from mental illness or severe subnormality of a nature or degree which warrants the detention of the patient in a hospital for medical treatment, the Secretary of State shall have the like power of giving a transfer direction in respect of him under that section as if he were serving a sentence of imprisonment.

(2) This section applies to the following persons, that is to say—

(a) persons committed in custody for trial at assizes or quarter sessions;

(b) persons committed in custody to quarter sessions under section twenty-eight or section twenty-nine of the Magistrates' Courts Act, 1952, section five of the Vagrancy Act, 1824, or section sixty-seven of this Act;

(c) persons remanded in custody by a court of assize or quarter sessions to await a judgment or sentence which has been respited;

(d) persons remanded in custody by a magistrates' court;

(e) civil prisoners, that is to say, persons committed by a court to prison for a limited term (including persons committed to prison in pursuance of a writ of attachment), not being persons falling to be dealt with under section seventy-two of this Act;

(f) aliens detained in a prison or other institution to which the Prison Act, 1952, applies, in pursuance of the Aliens Order 1953, or any order amending or replacing that Order.

(3) Subsections (2) to (5) of the last foregoing section shall apply for the purposes of this section and of any transfer direction given by virtue of this section as they apply for the purposes of that section and of any transfer direction thereunder.