The mother of a mentally-ill Westgate inmate is concerned that he's refusing to take his medication — and is worried that nothing can be done about it.

Mr. J, a 47-year-old schizophrenic, has been in and out of the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute mental hospital for years.

He's also had brushes with the law before and was last week sentenced to a year behind bars for cannabis possession.

According to his worried 73-year-old mother, he has not been taking the drugs that help to control his condition for several months.

Without them, she fears that he's a danger to himself and others.

"A psychiatrist told me he's usually a quiet and clean person but without his medication he's a totally different person. He's very argumentative," she said.

"If he's acting up in there (Westgate) I'm concerned for those officers, because those officers are not trained to deal with mental patients."

Mrs. J understands that the only way her son can be made to take his medication is if a ruling is made under the Mental Health Act.

"I talked to the psychiatrist up at Westgate and they said the Magistrate can't order that because if he doesn't agree to take the medication you can only make him take it if he does something detrimental to himself or others," she said.

The concerned mother asked that her name and that of her son be withheld from publication.

This newspaper reported last month on the case of 28-year-old Lorenzo Robinson, a paranoid schizophrenic found hanged in his cell at Westgate on July 13.

Robinson, who stabbed a tourist on Front Street in 2002, obtained a ruling from the Chief Justice earlier this year that his condition required him to be treated in a secure forensic psychiatric unit.

Westgate does not have such a facility, and the Mid Atlantic Wellness Centre said it does not have appropriate accommodation for the long-term treatment of mentally ill prisoners such as Robinson.

He therefore remained incarcerated at Westgate at the time of his death.

Mrs. J said she was concerned to learn from the publicity about that case that Westgate does not have a special unit for prisoners suffering mental health problems.

"Government should have some cells for mental patients that have gone afoul of the law," she said.

In response, Commissioner of Prisons Edward Lamb invited Mrs. J to contact Corrections HQ to discuss her concerns with him or senior officers.

"I would much rather discuss private matters, for which this situation qualifies, with the individuals concerned, rather than through the media," he said. "However, suffice to say that all receptions are given a full medical examination upon arrival and any concerns identified at that point are addressed."