Question On Notice No. 1746 asked in the Legislative Council on 6 November 2018 by Hon Alison Xamon
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Corrective Services
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I
refer to Adult Justice Services in Western Australia, and I ask:
(a) for
each financial year from 2000-01 to 2017-18, please advise:
(i) the daily average prison population for that
year;
(ii) the
amount spent on the provision of prison health services;
(iii) the amount spent on the provision of prison
mental health services; and
(iv) the
amount spent on prison alcohol and other drug services?
Answered on 29 November 2018
Please see table below in response to the queries raised:
Years
|
(i)
DAPP
|
(ii)
Expenditure on health services
|
(*)
(iii) Mental Health and (iv) Alcohol and Other Drug Services
|
2000-01
|
3,120
|
11,205,571
|
Not available
|
2001-02
|
2,932
|
10,369,342
|
Not available
|
2002-03
|
2,843
|
11,253,077
|
Not available
|
2003-04
|
3,006
|
12,449,890
|
Not available
|
2004-05
|
3,372
|
14,071,945
|
Not available
|
2005-06
|
3,433
|
17,254,256
|
Not available
|
2006-07
|
3,622
|
18,342,800
|
Not available
|
2007-08
|
3,803
|
21,939,505
|
1,685,207
|
2008-09
|
4,012
|
24,000,120
|
3,246,607
|
2009-10
|
4,759
|
26,515,466
|
3,931,321
|
2010-11
|
4,633
|
27,311,436
|
3,754,354
|
2011-12
|
4,795
|
29,543,575
|
4,024,800
|
2012-13
|
4,951
|
29,274,836
|
3,410,369
|
2013-14
|
5,030
|
33,382,412
|
3,550,692
|
2014-15
|
5,402
|
35,292,429
|
3,935,196
|
2015-16
|
5,850
|
35,176,032
|
4,342,503
|
2016-17
|
6,489
|
35,623,646
|
4,426,680
|
2017-18
|
6,771
|
35,818,185
|
4,233,096
|
(*) Note the Department is unable to disaggregate between Mental Health and AOD Expenditure.
Supplementary Information:
The data supplied relates only to prisons operated by the Department of Justice: Corrective Services.
There is no automated mechanism for disaggregating mental health and alcohol and other drug expenditure. To do so would require a complex manual exercise.
The total amount that was spent on the provision of mental health services to prisoners by the Department includes the cost of alcohol and drug services as drug dependence is considered a diagnosable mental health condition. Alcohol and other drug programs of a criminogenic nature and the Prison Counselling Service have been excluded.
The expenditure includes specific mental health treatment, but excludes care provided by the primary health care team as it is not possible to accurately calculate the component of their expenditure dedicated to mental health as consults include more than one issue.
The State Forensic Mental Health Service operated by the Department of Health and funded through the Mental Health Commission (MHC) delivers psychiatry in-reach and transition services. The cost of these services would need to be obtained from the Department of Health/MHC.
In 2012-13 there appears to be a reduction in expenditure related to mental health, alcohol and other drug services. It is understood that this was associated with the merging of general health and mental health, alcohol and other drug services which resulted in streamlining of management and administrative positions.