I was both saddened and enraged to read John Harris’s article about the continuing abuse and torture of people with learning disabilities and autism (Learning-disabled and autistic people are being neglected and tortured. How much longer?, 24 April). When will we realise that human services are not suitable fodder for money-making, shareholder-favouring companies? Although the fact that similar abuses have occurred in NHS systems in the past suggests other factors are at play.
The Zimbardo prison experiment at Stanford University in the early 1970s showed how quickly people can fall into controlling or submissive roles if they do not have positive management and role models available, and if nobody dares blow the whistle. There are excellent services in some parts of the UK, with individualised support for people, but they are under constant pressure to cut costs.
