High rates of mental illness in jail inmates
By Ian Munro
May 24, 2004
The age
High rates of mental illness among prisoners suggest prisons are filling the gaps for a failing mental health system, Father Peter Norden, convener of the Victorian Criminal Justice Coalition said yesterday.
Figures from the Department of Justice show that more than a quarter of prisoners had been diagnosed with mental illness at some stage of their lives and that one in six had been admitted to a psychiatric ward.
The findings also showed that 15 per cent of prisoners were being medicated for a mental health problem.
Depression was the most common diagnosis, followed by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The report also found "alarming" rates of suicidal thoughts among prisoners, with almost half thinking of suicide at some time.
Father Norden said the findings raised serious questions about the use of the criminal justice system to deal with pre-existing health problems.
He said the report followed a long period of increased investment in prisons - up 138 per cent, while spending on mental health in the wider community rose 88 per cent.
"A more effective use of the community's scarce resources would be to respond to the health needs of vulnerable citizens as they occur, rather than increasing the amount of money year by year in incarcerating the mentally ill," Father Norden said.
He said the weekend shooting by police of a man wielding a samurai sword raised the question of whether a mental health intervention would have been appropriate.
Experience of police shootings in the early 1990s showed most to involve the mentally ill, rather than people with a criminal history, Father Norden said.

This is a really good article. They closed the mental health wards, left them with extremely limited beds, got understaffed to cut budgets, through all these people back in the community, wished them luck, built new prisons, and put them all in there UNTREATED!!!
This is a really touchy topic for me. My husband was put into prison, he was begging the police to shoot him after an overdose, and was on a suicide mission. His schizophrenic. They sent him to prison, while I begged the judge and police to put him in the hands of mental health. I ended up getting him out on bail, and he went straight in the hands of mental health, he was THAT bad. Stayed there for a month, and still his medication isnt right.
He goes for sentencing tomorrow. (!7th June). The judge allowed us to delay sentencing one week, to get mental health records. I just pray that this judge is understandable, and uses mental health intervention, and not prison . He is now in the hands of mental health and is doing well. He goes back to prison, he will just relapse, so we would be back to square one. You know half the people, while my husband was in mental health had commited a crime, and was in the hands of mental health. Australian needs to be building bigger and better mental health facilities, and NOT prisons.
Anyway, thats my soapbox.

Kyla

It is a shame that society still views mental illness with the same stereotypes that have been around for many, too many, years now especially after all the research has exposed these stereotypes to be myths.

My prayers and thoughts will be with you tomorrow. Hopefully the judge will see that mental illness is a social issue and not a criminal issue.

My god do I have a bee in my bonnet regarding mental health in prisons. My theory is that medical staff employed by corrections know squat about any sort of mental health issue, so what they do is prescribe what ever is fashionable. Most are given prozac just a little bit more than needed mixed with some sort of anit-psychotic medication like Risperidone. So hey an anti social vegetive state of mind person is easier to put in a corner and forget about than a alert fully compos mentis person.
The prison medical hierarchy dont no the difference between mental health, general health and dental health. What they do is make the brain numb therefore no pain no problems anywhere else. Ok yes I might be a little over the top but I dont think I'm too far off the mark.

Torjai
Thats what they shoved hubby on, the risperdone, and the endep, and god know what else. I think they added something else along the way. He is having psychotherapy (we are paying for), and he is doing alot better, and hopefully can reduce his medication, and learn to cope with his systems. BUT... giving risperdone to someone that isnt schizophrenic, is crazy in itself. Risperdone is to treat alzheimers and schizophrenia, thats why my hubby takes it, cause he is schizophrenic.
I agree though, when I was out there, and waiting for visits, and talking to other ladies, half there hubbies was on some kind of anti depressant. But then again, they look at some stuff (Like risperdone, that someone like my husband needs) as contraband, then you go back to square one. Its ALWAYS a battle with mental illness within the prison system.
I just pray I dont have to go through that battle again starting from tomorrow.