Page 1130 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 10 April 2018
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A 2006 study looking at mental disorders in Australian prisons found that in the prison population the incidence of some level of mental illness was approximately 80 per cent, which compared with 31 per cent in the general community. In the ACT the latest detainee health and wellbeing survey found that 54 per cent of respondents reported that they had received one or more mental health diagnoses in their lifetime and 35 per cent self-reported attempting suicide at some time in their lives.
These are confronting statistics and they remind us about the complexity and vulnerability in our detainee population. With the vast majority of detainees in the AMC returning to live in the Canberra community upon their release, investment in good prison health services equates to good public health outcomes in the longer term. This investment benefits not only the individual but the wider Canberra community as well.
We also know that individuals with untreated mental health conditions are at a higher risk of recidivism on their release from detention. International research has estimated that detainees who have received a professional diagnosis of a mental health condition are 70 per cent more likely to return to prison at least once, compared with those that have not been diagnosed with a mental illness.
In the ACT recidivism is defined as a detainee returning to corrective services with a new correctional sanction within two years. The latest figures indicate that 38.6 per cent of detainees have reoffended within that time period. While the ACT consistently has the lowest imprisonment rate in Australia per head of population, recidivism remains a concern. In 2016 figures showed that the overall rate of detainees in the ACT who had had prior adult imprisonment was 74 per cent. That is why the ACT government has such a strong focus on justice reinvestment in order to reduce recidivism and prevent the cycle of incarceration.
Madam Speaker, we, just like every other jurisdiction in Australia, have a large proportion of detainees with some level of mental illness in our corrections system. The likelihood of reoffending for these people is greater than for the general detainee cohort and is significantly higher than for people in the general community. At the same time the needs of these people can be more complex and require intensive supports to assist them to reintegrate into the community upon release.
In order to provide this level of intensive support, the ACT government has invested in the detention exit community outreach program, otherwise known as DECO. DECO provides transitional support for individuals with a diagnosed mental illness who are exiting detention and transitioning back into the community. DECO is a joint initiative between ACT Health and the community sector mental health provider Wellways Australia. Wellways works with ACT forensic mental health services to provide the treatment and support services required to assist people leaving detention and to re-establish them in the community.
Where appropriate, Wellways assists the person to connect with alcohol and other drugs services, longer term mental health support providers, employment, housing,
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